Patents Issued in June 10, 2014
  • Patent number: 8746785
    Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery apparatus (3) is installed below a floor supported by both side members (11, 12) of a vehicle to recover heat from exhaust gas passing through an exhaust pipe (1) of an internal combustion engine. Assistance members (15, 16), which extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, are provided between the both side members (11, 12) of the vehicle. The exhaust heat recovery apparatus (3) is installed close to one of the assistance members (15, 16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takato Ishihata, Mamoru Yashima, Yoshihiro Kamiya
  • Patent number: 8746786
    Abstract: A sill arrangement of a motor vehicle body is provided that has a sill outer plate, a sill inner plate, and a side wall outer plate, the sill inner plate and the sill outer plate being connected to one another with at least one flange extending essentially in the sill longitudinal direction, and the side wall outer plate fastened at least regionally on a lower side of the sill outer plate at a distance from the connecting flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Bernd Pohl, Roland Lessmeister, Stefan Stanik
  • Patent number: 8746787
    Abstract: A roof frame for a motor vehicle has a cowl frame with upper and lower segments and a plurality of chambers in each segment. An upper connecting surface is on top side of the free end of the lower segment. A lower connecting surface is opposite the upper connecting surface and is connected to a reinforcing element of an A pillar. The upper segment is arranged offset back from the lower segment of the cowl frame and is shortened by mechanical machining to form a step-shaped shoulder in which the outer roof frame is held.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Pawel Adamski
  • Patent number: 8746788
    Abstract: A fold-down tablet used in a chair is disclosed. The tablet includes a board, a torsion positioning mechanism, a shaft and an armrest. The torsion positioning mechanism is fixed to a side of the board for horizontally rotating and positioning the board. The shaft has a protrudent positioning bar and is fixed to the torsion positioning mechanism for making the board vertically rotatable. The armrest has a shaft hole for rotatably receiving the shaft and a slot communicating with the shaft hole. When the board is turned horizontally, the positioning bar is embedded into the slot to be restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Dongguan Howen Plastic & Metal Products Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chih-Cheng Su
  • Patent number: 8746789
    Abstract: A protective cover for covering a portion of a baby carrier in which a baby is to be received. The cover includes a canopy structured to enclose the baby-receiving portion of the carrier when secured to the baby carrier, and a first cutout portion formed along the canopy in a position enabling access to a handle of the baby carrier through the first cutout portion when the cover is positioned over the baby-receiving portion of the carrier. A handle cover flap is attached to the canopy and structured so as to be positionable to close the first cutout portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Inventor: Catherine A. Berry
  • Patent number: 8746790
    Abstract: Subject matter described includes an apparatus that attaches to a chair to provide storage and to assist with carrying the chair. For example, the apparatus might include side panels that are attached to one another, such that the side panels contiguously extend around the chair legs when the apparatus is attached to a chair. In addition, the apparatus includes a top panel that extends from one of the side panels over the chair seat and that releasably fastens to one or more other side panels. The apparatus might also include a wrapping mechanism that attaches to a chair and that includes a releasable fastener. The releasable fastener is positioned to be fastened when the wrapping mechanism wraps around a collapsed chair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Leisureease, LLC.
    Inventor: Lisa Kay Beaty Bishop
  • Patent number: 8746791
    Abstract: A shape-memory saddle structure, particularly for pedal driven vehicles, comprising a substantially rigid or semirigid support frame (2), means (4) for connecting said frame (2) to a vehicle, a yielding pad (7) secured to the upper face (S) of the frame (2), and a cover layer (5) laid over the yielding pad (3). The frame (2) has one or more portions (6, 6?, 6?) having a different deformability from that of the rest of the frame (2). The portions (6, 6?, 6?) include at least one membrane of fibrous material, which is susceptible to permanent deformation in response to a compression stress by a user, so as to take a deformed configuration. The membrane (7) is closely joined to at least one layer of elastomeric material (8), which is adapted to locally change the rigidity of the membrane (7) by elastically holding it at least partly in the deformed configuration, to customize the frame (2) to the specific user's body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Selle Royal S.p.A.
    Inventor: Stefano Segato
  • Patent number: 8746792
    Abstract: An energy management load limiting vehicle seat member or construction is shown with collision energy absorbing and anti-submarining features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Ruthinowski, Ian Brewster Hall, Parakrama V. Weerappuli, Brian Robert Spahn, Kevin Siasoco
  • Patent number: 8746793
    Abstract: Child safety seats are used for the safe transport of children in vehicles. The child safety seats known from prior art often offer only insufficient protection in the case of a side impact. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a child safety seat that improves the protective effect of the child safety seat in the case of a side impact. This object is solved by a child safety seat with side impact protection according to the invention. Such a child safety seat comprises at least one element absorbing and/or transmitting energy which is arranged and designed to be transferred from a rest position to a functioning position to absorb a laterally impacting energy in the functioning position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Britax Romer Kindersicherheit GmbH
    Inventors: Iain Powell, David Shaun Carine, Richard Arthur Moon, Andrew Anthony Whiteway
  • Patent number: 8746794
    Abstract: An infant seat comprising an upper torso support, a lower torso support pivotally articulated to the upper torso support and a seat supporting structure; at least one of the upper torso support or the lower torso support is pivotally articulated to the seat supporting structure, the seat further comprising a converting mechanism for converting the seat between at least an angular position in which the upper torso support is inclined with respect to the lower torso support, and a planar position in which the upper torso support and the lower torso support are substantially co-planar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Tiny Love Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoshana Oren, Hagai Harduff, Amit Avigdor, Giora Shachal
  • Patent number: 8746795
    Abstract: Longitudinally adjustable motor vehicle seat comprising opposite rail pairs; a lower rail for securement to a chassis and an upper rail secured to a seat component, displaceable in the lower rail. Two pivotable levers are associated with the rail pairs. A second lever is connected to a locking mechanism for securing the upper rail; both levers are connected to a seat backrest. Upon operation of a control member connected to the levers for comfort-longitudinal seat adjustment, a first lever synchronously pivots the second lever to release the locking mechanism. A Bowden cable is connected to the backrest for adjustment when the backrest is folded forward into an easy-entry-position. A Bowden cable core is attached to the first lever, and a sheathing thereof is secured to the second lever. In a neutral position, the sheathing presses the first lever against an abutment secured to the upper rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Faurecia Autositze GmbH
    Inventors: Dan Stoia, Bertrand Touzet
  • Patent number: 8746796
    Abstract: A disc recliner includes a fixed plate having a plurality of outer teeth and a movable plate having a plurality of inner teeth meshingly engageable with the outer teeth to allow rolling movement of the movable plate relative to the fixed plate. A pair of wedges defining an eccentric is rotatably mounted between the fixed and movable plates and rotation of the wedges causes the rolling movement of the movable plate. An anchor is disposed between the wedges for rotation therewith. A lock plate is coupled to the anchor and is movable between a locked position engaged with the fixed plate to prevent rotation of the wedges and an unlocked position disengaged with the fixed plate to permit rotation of the wedges. A cam actuates the lock plate from the locked position to the unlocked position and rotates the wedges thereby causing the rolling movement of the movable plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Magna Seating Inc.
    Inventor: Xiao Jun Wei
  • Patent number: 8746797
    Abstract: The invention relates to improvements in the object of patent P200603269 for “Automatic rotation system for tilting seats of chairs or armchairs”, comprising rotation supports formed by two parts (1 and 2) which are rotating in relation to one another, between which there is incorporated a rotating draw-spring (4), one of the parts (2) of each rotating support determining an annular channel (5), in which there is housed a ring (6) together with a high-viscosity silicone filler, such that said ring (6) is linked by pulling with the other part (1) of the rotating support, a braking action occurring on the rotation movement between the two parts (1 and 2) due to the friction of that ring (6) with the silicone in the channel (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Figueras International Seating, S.L.
    Inventor: Jose Figueras Mitjans
  • Patent number: 8746798
    Abstract: A vehicle seat assembly includes a support structure and a headrest supported by the support structure. The headrest includes a headrest body that is movable with respect to the support structure between a stowed position and a use position, and a locking mechanism for locking the headrest body in the use position. When the headrest body is in the use position, the locking mechanism is releasable to allow the headrest body to rotate rearwardly and slide downwardly to the stowed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventor: Timo Schroeder
  • Patent number: 8746799
    Abstract: A headrest support rod includes a shaft portion and a support portion. The shaft portion has a first end, a second end, and an annular wall. The annular wall defines a cavity that extends from the first end to the second end. The support portion is formed adjacent to the second end of the shaft portion. At least part of the support portion is a continuous extension of the annular wall of the shaft portion. The shaft portion and the support portion are unitarily formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Dumont
  • Patent number: 8746800
    Abstract: A vehicle head restraint assembly includes a head restraint body for providing support to a vehicle occupant's head and a lower frame assembly for mounting the head restraint body to an associated vehicle structure. The head restraint body is longitudinally adjustable relative to the lower frame assembly. An upper frame assembly can be secured to the head restraint body and movably secured to the lower frame assembly for longitudinally adjusting the head restraint body relative to the lower frame assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Travis M. Reel
  • Patent number: 8746801
    Abstract: A headrest structure is equipped with a headrest main body; a headrest stay that supports the headrest main body; and a stopper member, a first end portion of the stopper member configuring a fixing portion fixed to the bottom end portion of the headrest stay, a second end portion of the stopper member configuring a stopper portion that is inserted into a support portion and is formed with a claw portion, when the stopper portion is inserted into the support portion, the claw portion resiliently deforming, when the stopper portion has been completely inserted into the support portion, the claw portion resiliently rebounding such that the outer diameter of the claw portion exceeds the inner diameter of the support portion, and when the stopper portion moves in a direction of exiting from the support portion, the claw portion catches on an end portion of the support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinichi Nakata
  • Patent number: 8746802
    Abstract: A chair base having a retractable foot platform is preferably formed from steel and includes a movable carriage. The foot platform is affixed to linkages attached to a rotatable rod. By moving a handle attached to the rod, the retractable foot platform can be pivoted and extended or withdrawn as desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Inventor: Fabio G. Delmestri
  • Patent number: 8746803
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a retractor that is manufacturable at a much lower cost by making a pretensioner operate more effectively, by minimizing the length of a pipe so that a weight reduction is realized effectively, and by easing the restriction for the shape of a guide member. [Solution] A pipe 17 in which a plurality of balls as force transmitting members are provided includes an attaching portion 17c as a projection provided at one end portion 17a thereof. A guide member 18 having a guide surface 18c that guides the balls has attaching grooves 18 as recesses. The attaching portion 17c is fitted into the attaching grooves 18, whereby the pipe 17 is attached around the outer circumference thereof to the guide member 18 attached to a frame. Since the guide member 18 is provided on the outer circumference of the pipe 17, the pipe 17 can be shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Takata Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Shiotani, Yusuke Iura
  • Patent number: 8746804
    Abstract: An apparatus generally includes a dump frame pivotably coupled to a vehicle's chassis, and a slide frame slidably coupled to the dump frame. The apparatus further includes at least one slide frame actuator for causing sliding movement of the slide frame, and at least one dump frame actuator for causing pivotal movement of the dump frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Inventor: David G. Kraenzle
  • Patent number: 8746805
    Abstract: An apparatus for remotely locking a container includes a vehicle having a main frame and a tipper frame hingedly connected to the main frame, at least one of the main frame and tipper frame being configured to receive and support a container thereon; an actuator assembly for pivoting the tipper frame relative the main frame between a reclined, container loading and transport position and an inclined, dumping position; a container configured for receipt, transport and dumping of material, including a box defining a rear opening, and having a door hingedly connected with the container box to swing between an open, material dumping position and a closed position covering and sealing shut the rear opening; at least one lock mechanism connected to at least one of the box and the door; a locking assembly connected to the container; and, an actuator assembly connected to the tipper frame and physically separate from the locking assembly, and when the container is juxtaposed atop the tipper frame said tipper frame is
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Wastequip Manufacturing Company LLC
    Inventors: Anthony D. Petzitillo, Jr., Todd A. Fowler
  • Patent number: 8746806
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bit holder having an insertion projection and having a holding projection, the holding projection comprising a bit receptacle, and the holding projection protruding at least locally from or beyond the insertion projection in the tool feed direction. A bit holder of this kind is designed in service-life-optimized fashion by the fact that the holding projection comprises a supporting segment having a rigid, shaped-on supporting surface that is arranged at least locally in front of the insertion projection in the feed direction. The invention further relates to a base part for receiving an aforementioned bit holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Wirtgen GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Lehnert, Karsten Buhr, Cyrus Barimani, Guenter Haehn
  • Patent number: 8746807
    Abstract: The invention relates to a bit holder having an insertion projection and having a holding projection having a bit receptacle, the insertion projection comprising a bearing segment and the holding projection comprising a supporting segment. In order to allow the bit holder to be braced in permanent and stable fashion with respect to a base part, provision is made according to the present invention that the supporting segment and/or the bearing segment comprise two supporting surfaces and bearing surfaces, respectively, arranged at an angle to one another; and that the longitudinal center axis of the bit receptacle and the longitudinal axis of the insertion projection enclose an obtuse angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Wirtgen GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Lehnert, Karsten Buhr, Cyrus Barimani, Guenter Haehn
  • Patent number: 8746808
    Abstract: A bicycle rim is provided with an annular tire mounting part, an annular spoke mounting part, at least one spoke attachment member and an orientation maintaining structure. The annular spoke mounting part includes a plurality of spoke openings a circumferential spaced along the annular spoke mounting part. The spoke mounting part extends from the annular tire mounting part to define an interior space containing the spoke attachment member. The orientation maintaining structure is dimensioned with respect to the interior space to form an orientation maintaining arrangement such that the spoke attachment member is slidably disposed within the interior space in a circumferential direction of the bicycle rim to selectively align with one of the spoke openings while also maintaining an orientation of the spoke attachment member within the interior space to align with the one of the spoke openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Shimano Components (Malaysia) SDN. BHD.
    Inventors: Kim Hong Kuan, Yoke Seng Chan, Masahiro Hanatani
  • Patent number: 8746809
    Abstract: When an EPB performs a locking operation of operating a parking brake, a pressure-decreasing limit control is performed until a driving shaft contacts a piston. Accordingly, even when the time of decreasing the W/C pressure by a service brake is equal to the time of brining the driving shaft having moved by the motor driving of the EPB into contact with the piston are equal to each other, it is possible to prevent the piston, which has been urged to the driving shaft with the decreasing of the W/C pressure, from colliding with the driving shaft with a great impact, thereby preventing a large load from being applied to the driving shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshikazu Tachiiri
  • Patent number: 8746810
    Abstract: A brake fluid pressure control device 10 includes: a block-shaped housing 30, front and rear wheel-use flow paths, mounting holes in each side surface of the housing 30; a pair of front wheel-use switching valve bodies 1a and 2a that are mounted in a pair of mounting holes 31a and 31b that control the pressure of a brake fluid supplied to a front wheel-use wheel cylinder 103; a pair of rear wheel-use switching valve bodies 3a and 4a that are mounted in a pair of mounting holes 31c and 31d that control the pressure of the brake fluid supplied to a rear wheel-use wheel cylinder 106; a pressure sensor 13 that is inserted inside a mounting hole 31j in the first side surface 30a of the housing 30; and an electronic control unit 8 that drives and controls the front wheel-use and rear wheel-use switching valve bodies 1a to 4a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Bosch Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Atsushi, Tohru Masuno, Makoto Sasaki, Yoshio Tajika, Sirichai Bannasarn
  • Patent number: 8746811
    Abstract: A brake fluid pressure control device includes: a electromagnetic control valve; a electromagnetic booster valve; a electromagnetic decompression valve; a pump, which are incorporated in a single housing; and an electronic control unit, wherein, the pump draws up at least one of brake fluid, which is supplied from the main reservoir, and brake fluid, which is discharged from the wheel cylinder, and then the pump returns the drawn brake fluid to an area that extends from the electromagnetic control valve of a main flow path up to the electromagnetic booster valve; and a fluid reservoir, which communicates with both the decompression path and an intake port of the pump, and which is arranged inside the housing so that the brake fluid in the fluid reservoir flows toward the intake port of the pump by gravity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignees: Advics Co., Ltd., Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Okamura, Chikage Nakamura, Tomoo Harada
  • Patent number: 8746812
    Abstract: Towed vehicles can be extremely heavy. Accordingly, it is too much of a burden to the braking system of a towing vehicle to not have brakes on the towed vehicle. Controlling the brakes of the towed vehicle must be accurately applied otherwise undesirable conditions can be created. There is a need for a method for controlling braking of a towed vehicle. This method comprises receiving a first signal via a communication bus of a towing vehicle, the first signal relating to at least one operating condition of at least one the towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, sending a second signal to brakes of the towed vehicle, the second signal based on said first signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Inventors: Marcia Albright, Chandrakumar Kulkarni, Jerald Prater, Jason Reichard, Dennis Morse, Mark Austin, Pat Burgess, Marvin Hoot, Larry Eccleston, Steve Zavodny, Doug Marsden, Kirk Englert
  • Patent number: 8746813
    Abstract: In a vehicle capable of performing regenerative braking and fluid pressure braking, in changing from the regenerative braking to the fluid pressure braking in response to a decrease of a vehicle speed due to braking, a fluid pressure braking force is increased from 0 at a first increasing rate when the vehicle speed falls to or below a first threshold value (V1), and the fluid pressure braking force is increased at a second increasing rate, which is higher than the first increasing rate, when the vehicle speed falls to or below a second threshold value (V2), which is smaller than the first threshold value (V1). With this configuration, while occurrence of a squeal noise of a wheel cylinder can be prevented by setting the first increasing rate of the fluid pressure braking force at a small value, a required braking force can be generated without any problem by setting the second increasing rate, to be used subsequently thereto, of the fluid pressure braking force at a large value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Matsushita
  • Patent number: 8746814
    Abstract: A vehicle brake fluid pressure control apparatus controls operations of a fluid pressure adjusting unit capable of performing adjustment of individually increasing and decreasing brake fluid pressures acting respectively on wheel brakes for front wheels and wheel brakes for rear wheels to be within allowable differential pressures allowable between the brake fluid pressures of the wheel brakes for the left and right coaxial front wheels and the left and right coaxial rear wheels. In the apparatus, a fluid pressure acquiring device acquires a lock fluid pressure of a wheel brake of a wheel coaxial with a wheel being a control target, the lock fluid pressure being a fluid pressure at which pressure decrease by an anti-lock brake control is started. An allowable differential pressure setting device sets the allowable differential pressures matching a road surface friction coefficient on the basis of at least the lock fluid pressure obtained by the fluid pressure acquiring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Nissin Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomoaki Sekiya
  • Patent number: 8746815
    Abstract: A vehicle track-module including an upper drive wheel, a plurality of idler and bogey wheels, and an endless rubber track with spaced lugs which extends around the wheels and is driven by the drive wheel, which has: a middle main plate with a outer edge of first diameter and inward and outward sides forming the exposed inward and outward surfaces of the drive wheel; drive members axially across and projecting radially beyond the main-plate edge to a second diameter, each drive member having axially inward and outward end portions, a middle portion affixed at its middle position to the main-plate edge, and an outer track-engaging surface; and a rigidity ring affixed to the inward end portions of the drive members and having an inner diameter no less than half the first diameter and an outer diameter no greater than the second diameter. In some embodiments, the axial dimension of the track-engaging surfaces of the drive members is at least 50% greater than the axial dimension of the track lugs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: ATI, Inc.
    Inventors: Jamsheed Reshad, Duane Tiede
  • Patent number: 8746816
    Abstract: An anti-tip lock assembly for a storage compartment includes a pair of geared actuators mounted on a base abutting against a follower. The follower and the base are configured to travel a limited distance along a vertical track installed in a storage unit. When the compartment is closed, the actuators are aligned with the track. When the compartment is opened, the actuators are moved out of alignment to block access to the moving components of the assembly. When the anti-tip lock assembly is operational, the array of like anti-tip assemblies in the track allow displacement of only one pair of actuators to occupy the limited distance at one time. A security bar array interacts with the actuators and other assemblies in the storage unit, to prevent simultaneous opening of two or more compartments. The security bar is provided with the track to lock and unlock the assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Wesko Systems Limited
    Inventor: Florian Westwinkel
  • Patent number: 8746817
    Abstract: A case structure of an electronic device includes a main case, a cover, and an elastic driving element. The main case includes a hollow portion, and a spring leaf structure protruding inwardly from a side of the hollow portion. The cover for covering the hollow portion includes a fastening portion, at least one fixing element, and a column portion. The elastic driving element is movably combined with the main case and includes a corresponding fastening portion and an operating portion. When the cover is combined with the main case, the spring leaf structure is pressed by the column portion to generate an elastic deformation; when the operating portion is moved to let the corresponding fastening portion detach from the fastening portion, the cover may detach from the main case with an elastic restoring force exerted by the spring leaf structure on the column portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Wistron Corporation
    Inventor: Chen-Yi Liang
  • Patent number: 8746818
    Abstract: A storage rack configured to be removably attached to an inner refrigerator door liner to enable storage of canned and/or bottled beverages is defined by an open body formed from a peripheral frame member, a base member fixed to and extending between side portions of the peripheral frame member and an angled support member. A front segment of the angled support member and a frontal section of the peripheral frame member include a series of aligned arcuate portions. Bottles, such as soda, water, wine and the like bottles, can be stored upright in the rack, resting on the base member between the frontal section of the peripheral frame member and a rear segment of the angled support member, while beverage cans can be stored at an angle, abutting the rear segment of the angled support member while spaced side portions of the cans rest upon the aligned arcuate portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventor: David L. Meese
  • Patent number: 8746819
    Abstract: The present cooling device (1) comprises a shelf (3) the height of which can be adjusted. The cooling device (1) further comprises a body (2), at least one shelf (3) disposed inside the body (2) whereon the foodstuffs are placed and which can be raised or lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Inventors: Ersin Donmez, Osman Cengiz, Levent Hasanreisoglu
  • Patent number: 8746820
    Abstract: Disclosed is a nail print apparatus including: a photographing section which photographs a plurality of fingers and a nail section of each finger to obtain a finger image; a finger type detecting section which detects a type of each finger from the finger image; a first storage controlling section which stores the type of finger detected by the finger type detecting section corresponded with the nail image; a design specifying section which receives specification of a design image to be printed; a second storage controlling section which stores the design image specified on the design specifying section; a combined nail image generating section which combines the design image with the nail image for each type of finger to generate a combined nail image; and a print controlling section which controls printing of the combined nail image on the nail chip sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Murata
  • Patent number: 8746821
    Abstract: A controller includes an information transferring unit in a main control unit. A mechanical controller transmits device state information at predetermined time intervals. The information transferring unit performs some processing on the device state information received from the mechanical controller as necessary and stores the information in a second storage unit. Upon receiving a device state acquisition command from a host control unit, the information transferring unit transmits device state information read out from the second storage unit to the host control unit as a response to the device state acquisition command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hirotsuna Miura
  • Patent number: 8746822
    Abstract: A print control apparatus configured to cause a printing unit to perform print processing includes a determination unit configured to determine whether a condition for executing maintenance processing of the printing unit is satisfied, a shortening unit configured to shorten redundant maintenance operations in first maintenance processing and second maintenance processing in a case where the determination unit determines that a condition for executing the second maintenance processing is satisfied before completion of the first maintenance processing, and a control unit configured to cause the first maintenance processing and the second maintenance processing to be carried out after the shortening unit shortens the redundant maintenance operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Yasuzaki, Kazunari Shishido, Sho Nakamura, Ruriko Mikami, Atsushi Hirahara, Takayoshi Noguchi, Akiteru Naka, Tatsuhiko Tomita
  • Patent number: 8746823
    Abstract: To reduce the tendency of glossiness to vary according to the ink ejection quantity, a printing device includes a color ink head for ejecting color ink to a medium, a clear ink head for ejecting transparent clear ink to the medium, and a controller for controlling ejection of the clear ink so that the clear ink is ejected to a region in which an ejection quantity of the color ink per unit area of the medium is less than a predetermined quantity, and the clear ink is not ejected to a region in which the ejection quantity of the color ink per unit area of the medium is greater than the predetermined quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Kondo, Toru Takahashi, Hiroshi Wada, Toshio Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8746824
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a light irradiation unit including a light emitting element row having therein a plurality of light emitting elements aligned in the same direction as a nozzle row, and a fault detection unit that detects whether there is a fault in each of the light emitting elements. The light emitting elements apply light to a photoreactive liquid discharged onto a recording target material. The light irradiation unit includes a plurality of the light emitting element rows arranged therein. When the fault detection unit detects a fault in a light emitting element, operation enters a fault mode where the light emitting element row to which the faulty light emitting element belongs is turned off and recording is performed with the remaining light emitting element rows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenori Usuda, Shinichi Kamoshida, Takayuki Kawakami
  • Patent number: 8746825
    Abstract: When printing is to be performed on sheets by switching a plurality of sheet storage units and feeding the sheets, a user confirms, before the designated number of sheets is printed, whether the sheet matches a designated sheet type, and then instructs printing to be continued. Two or more sheet storage units among the plurality of sheet storage units are set as one group, and one sheet is conveyed from each of the two or more sheet storage units set as one group. An image is printed on the conveyed sheets which are then discharged to a sheet discharge unit, and printing is interrupted. If an instruction to continue the interrupted printing is received, control is performed to resume the interrupted printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuo Wakai
  • Patent number: 8746826
    Abstract: A device and a method for managing a piezo inkjet head. The device includes: a piezo actuator connected to an inkjet head to generate pressure; a driver that controls driving of the piezo actuator; a sensing resistor connected between the driver and the piezo actuator, a signal amplifier connected across the sensing resistor to amplify the signal applied to the sensing resistor; a signal processor that removes noise of the signal output from the signal amplifier; a controller that determines a signal passing through the signal processor as a reference signal in a state in which bubbles are not introduced into the inkjet head; and a storage unit that stores the signal determined as the reference signal in the controller. The controller calculates a difference between the signal passing through the signal processor and the reference signal to generate a detection signal and determine a state of the inkjet head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byung Hun Kim, Hyun Seok Lee
  • Patent number: 8746827
    Abstract: A drop emitting device that includes a drop generator and a drive signal waveform that includes in sequence a pulse of a first polarity, a first pulse of a second polarity, a delay interval, and a second pulse of the second polarity that includes a high frequency segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Douglas D. Darling
  • Patent number: 8746828
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus determines the timing of executing discharge recovery processing based on the discharge amount of ink for each predetermined region discharged from a recording head, and controls the discharge recovery processing to be executed at the determined timing. Thereby, the discharge performance of the ink can be kept to be good, and the discharge recovery processing can be executed at the suitable timing without producing any deterioration of the image quality of a recorded image, and with the deterioration of throughput reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Kawamata, Taku Yokozawa
  • Patent number: 8746829
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus has low intensity ink ejection parts for ejecting low intensity ink, and a high intensity ink ejection part for ejecting high intensity ink. With respect to a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of printing paper, a pitch of outlets in the high intensity ink ejection part is larger than that in the low intensity ink ejection part. Thus, manufacturing cost of the apparatus is reduced. With respect to each gray level in a middle grayscale range, if a tint image is recorded with the high intensity ink, a spatial frequency of this tint image is lower than that of a tint image recorded with the low intensity ink. By the above image recording control, even if the high intensity ink ejection part includes an abnormal outlet where a flight direction of droplet is abnormal, streak unevenness in a color halftone image can be suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Asai
  • Patent number: 8746830
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming member that jets liquid droplets onto a recording medium and forms an image on a front face of the recording medium, a tension imparting member that induces tension of 100 N/m to 1000 N/m in the recording medium image-formed on the recording medium front face by the image forming member, and a drying member that dries the image formed on the front face of the recording medium when tension induced in the recording medium by the tension imparting member to a residual moisture level of 3 g/m2 or less in the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yuhei Chiwata
  • Patent number: 8746831
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes: a tray for holding a medium; a conveying portion for conveying the tray; a recording portion for recording an image onto the medium held by the tray; a detecting portion for detecting the medium. A detection-region determining portion determines, a detection region of the medium which is to be detected and a detection-region memory portion memorizes the determined detection region. Prior to the next image recording, the detecting portion detects the detection region, based on the detection region that has been memorized in previous image recording. A judging portion judges whether the image has been already recorded onto the medium or not, based on result of detection made by the detecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 8746832
    Abstract: A printer includes: a fixed printhead assembly defining a print zone; a drive roller for feeding media along a media path and into the print zone, the drive roller being positioned upstream of the print zone; a fixed vacuum platen for receiving the media from the drive roller, the fixed vacuum platen being positioned in the print zone opposite the fixed printhead assembly; and a moving belt assembly positioned downstream of the print zone for receiving the media from the fixed vacuum platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: Robert Rosati, David Petch, David Burney, Jim Sykora, Kenneth A Regas, Andy Bound, Neil Doherty, Scott Dennis, Ben Jones, Oksana Buyda, Locson Tonthat, Andrew Buyda, Patrick Kirk, Loren Hunt, Jason Dewey, Jim Trinchera, Bill Cressman, Ron Zech
  • Patent number: 8746833
    Abstract: A liquid jet head has a head chip including channels and nozzle holes communicating with respective ones of the channels. The channels have sidewalls each provided with a drive electrode. A temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of a liquid in the channels. A drive voltage value setting device is electrically connected to the temperature sensor for determining a magnitude of a drive voltage based on the temperature of the liquid detected by the temperature sensor. A control device performs a control operation that applies a drive voltage of the magnitude determined by the drive voltage value setting device to the drive electrodes of the head chip so as to increase a pressure in each of the channels by deformation of the side walls to thereby discharge the liquid in the channels from the respective nozzle holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: SII Printek Inc.
    Inventors: Yukihiro Saga, Toshiaki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8746834
    Abstract: An image recording device includes a conveying part that conveys a medium along a conveying path, a first medium support part that supports a region of the medium positioned in an image recording area on the conveying path and heats the region, a second medium support part disposed in an upstream area from the image recording area on the conveying path, and supports an upstream region of the medium positioned in the upstream area and heats the upstream region, and a temperature control part that controls a temperature of the first medium support part and a temperature of the second medium support part so that the temperature of the second medium support part corresponding to the upstream region is lower than the temperature of the first medium support part corresponding to the region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Toya