Patents Issued in November 1, 2016
  • Patent number: 9481162
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method with which a three-dimensional shaped article having a glossy texture can be manufactured stably and efficiently is provided. A three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped article by laminating layers formed by discharging and curing inks including a curable resin, the method including: applying a substantive section-forming ink to a region that forms the three-dimensional shaped article, and applying a sacrificial layer-forming ink for forming a sacrificial layer to a region that is adjacent to a region that forms an outermost layer of the three-dimensional shaped article and on a surface side of the outermost layer, a viscoelasticity of the sacrificial layer-forming ink during curing of the substantive section-forming ink being not less than a viscoelasticity of the substantive section-forming ink during curing of the substantive section-forming ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eiji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 9481163
    Abstract: A variable cutoff cylinder alignment apparatus is provided. The variable cutoff cylinder alignment apparatus includes a plate cylinder support box for supporting an exchangeable variable cutoff plate cylinder, a blanket cylinder support box for supporting an exchangeable variable cutoff blanket cylinder and an alignment stop adapted to align the blanket cylinder support box and the plate cylinder support box. The plate cylinder support box supports an exchangeable plate cam and the blanket cylinder support box includes a blanket cam. The exchangeable plate cam is capable of contacting the stop and the exchangeable blanket cam is capable of contacting the plate support box to align the blanket cylinder support box and the plate cylinder support box. The plate cylinder support box and the blanket cylinder support box are capable of aligning cylinders of different sized cutoffs. A variable cutoff offset printing press and a method of aligning printing cylinders during a cutoff change are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Goss International Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Lev Zlatin, Mark Bernard Dumais, Michael Robert Lemelin
  • Patent number: 9481164
    Abstract: Functional amine release agents displaying improved wetting as compared to standard silicone oils comprise a polydimethylsiloxane oil and a functional amine selected from the group consisting of pendant propylamines and pendant N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl, in which the concentration of functional amine to polydimethylsiloxane oil is approximately less than 0.0006 meq/g and the release agents have a viscosity of 20 cSt and 10 cSt. In an in-line tandem print system, the 20 cSt release agent is used in the upstream print engine while the 10 cSt release agent is used in the downstream print engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Jason M. LeFevre, Paul J. McConville, James M. Chappell, Joanne L. Lee, Rachael L. McGrath, Santokh S. Badesha
  • Patent number: 9481165
    Abstract: In a capacitive load drive circuit, first capacitive loads of a first capacitive load group are supplied a first driving signal and second capacitive loads of a second capacitive load group are supplied a second driving signal. A first driving signal generator generates the first driving signal from a control signal according to characteristics of the first capacitive load group, and a second driving signal generator generates the second driving signal from a control signal according to characteristics of the second capacitive load group. A control signal supply portion supplies a common control signal to the first driving signal generator and the second driving signal generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Otsuka, Tadashi Kiyuna, Toshifumi Asanuma
  • Patent number: 9481166
    Abstract: Provided are a piezoelectric element drive circuit and state detection method, and an image recording device which realize state detection of a piezoelectric element inexpensively and with a suppressed circuit scale in a drive circuit for rapidly driving a large-capacity load that uses negative voltage drive. An output potential (VOUT) of a boost unit (BST) is detected in a state in which VS_AMP supplied to an amplification unit (AMP) is set to a voltage lower than a maximum rating of a transistor (FET1) by SW1, supply of VS_FET to the boost unit (BST) is blocked by SW2, and an individual electrode (28) of a piezoactuator (30) is pulled down to VS_FET via a resistor (R6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Atsuko Hirakawa
  • Patent number: 9481167
    Abstract: In a liquid ejecting head, a vibration plate includes an effective displacement portion provided for each pressure chamber and an island-shaped part which is provided in the effective displacement portion at a position on the opposite side to the pressure chamber and to which one end portion of a piezoelectric vibrator is bonded; the piezoelectric vibrator has a laminate structure in which electrodes and piezoelectric material are alternately laminated; a layer at an end of one side of the piezoelectric vibrator in the laminating direction is formed of an external electrode, while a layer at an end of the other side thereof in the same direction is formed of a piezoelectric material; and the piezoelectric vibrator is disposed so as to be shifted toward the other side in the laminating direction with respect to the effective displacement portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Isamu Togashi
  • Patent number: 9481168
    Abstract: A device for detecting a state of a discharged liquid droplet includes a plurality of nozzles which is arranged in a width direction of a recording medium orthogonal to a feeding direction of the recording medium to discharge a liquid droplet toward the recording medium, a light emitter which is provided on one side of the recording medium in the width direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the recording medium, and a light receiver which is provided on the other side of the recording medium in the width direction, wherein the light emitter includes a light-emitting element, a condenser lens which condenses light from the light-emitting element to emit as a light beam, and an aperture stop member including an aperture opening through which the light beam passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ando
  • Patent number: 9481169
    Abstract: A liquid jet head includes a head portion having a supply flow path configured to allow liquid supplied from the outside to flow therethrough, a pressure chamber that communicates with the supply flow path, a driver element that drives the pressure chamber, and a nozzle that communicates with the pressure chamber for ejecting liquid droplets. A circuit portion supplies a drive waveform to the driver element. A cooling portion has a cooling flow path configured to allow the liquid to flow therethrough, and the cooling portion is coupled and fixed to the circuit portion to absorb heat energy dissipated by the circuit portion. The supply flow path and the cooling flow path communicate with each other so that the same liquid flows through both paths thereby eliminating the need for a dedicated cooling liquid system and achieving size and cost reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: SII PRINTEK INC.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Domae
  • Patent number: 9481170
    Abstract: When printing is performed by discharging ink from a printing head onto a lenticular, a carriage motor is controlled such that a carriage is moved in a main scanning direction at a velocity which is slower than a movement velocity of the carriage at the time of performing a normal printing process with respect to a recording medium different from the lenticular as a recording paper and further separated from a home position, and the printing head is controlled such that an ink discharge having a color according to printing data is started with respect to an end portion of the lenticular, and thus the printing of one pass is started. Since the velocity is slower than the movement velocity of the carriage at the time of performing the normal printing process, it is possible to improve printing quality at the time of performing printing with respect to the lenticular.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Manabu Kondo, Yasuhiko Yoshihisa, Takayuki Tanaka, Yohei Nunokawa, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 9481171
    Abstract: An element substrate includes a discharge port that discharges a liquid, an energy-generating element that generates energy that discharges the liquid from the discharge port, an acting chamber that makes the energy of the energy-generating element act on the liquid, and a heating element including at least two heat generating surfaces that are exposed to the liquid inside the acting chamber, the heating element disposed inside the acting chamber. The element substrate further includes a substrate in which a supply port that supplies liquid to the acting chambers is formed. The heating element may be disposed such that the heat generating surfaces are spaced apart from the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masao Mori, Kenji Kitabatake
  • Patent number: 9481172
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a nozzle; a first channeled structure defining a first liquid channel, the first liquid channel communicating with the nozzle; a second liquid channel; a communication opening connecting the first liquid channel and the second liquid channel; a laminated body including a piezoelectric element and a metal layer, the laminated body having a first portion supported by the first channeled structure and a second portion extending over the first liquid channel and not supported by the first channeled structure, the communication opening extending through the second portion of the laminated body such that the second portion surrounds the communication opening; wherein the second portion of the laminated body includes the metal layer surrounding the communication opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keita Hirai
  • Patent number: 9481173
    Abstract: A nozzle plate having a nozzle hole that penetrates through the nozzle plate in a thickness direction is disclosed. The nozzle plate includes a discharge outlet that is formed at the nozzle hole, and provided curvatures of four corner portions of an opening shape of the discharge outlet are denoted as R1, R2, R3, and R4, the opening shape of the discharge outlet is configured to approximate the equation R1=R2?R3=R4?0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoyuki Ueda, Yuki Nakamura, Yukiko Abe, Shinji Matsumoto, Yuji Sone, Mikiko Takada, Ryoichi Saotome
  • Patent number: 9481174
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead includes: providing a silicon substrate including active ejecting elements; providing a hydraulic structure layer; providing a silicon orifice plate having a plurality of nozzles for ejection of said ink; and assembling the silicon substrate with said hydraulic structure layer and said silicon orifice plate. Providing the silicon orifice plate comprises: providing a silicon wafer having a substantially planar extension delimited by a first and a second surfaces; performing a thinning step at the second surface so as to remove a central portion having a preset height; and forming in the silicon wafer a plurality of through holes, each defining a respective nozzle for ejection of the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: SICPA HOLDING SA
    Inventors: Silvia Baldi, Danilo Bich, Lucia Giovanola, Anna Merialdo, Paolo Schina
  • Patent number: 9481175
    Abstract: A gas-liquid separator includes a casing with a cylindrical chamber inside, a gas-liquid 2-phase inlet pipe which is attached to a wall of the casing and connected to the chamber, a gas outlet pipe for discharging the gas of a gas-liquid mixture flowing into the chamber, and the gas-liquid 2-phase outlet pipe for discharging the liquid as a most part of the gas-liquid mixture flowing into the chamber. A gap is formed around the gas-liquid outlet pipe in the chamber for separating the mixture into liquid and gas using the surface tension and suction force. The gas-liquid separator is installed in the inkjet recording apparatus, especially in the print head. The print head is filled with the solvent gas so as to be suctioned from the gutter to reduce the solvent consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Arima, Akira Miyao, Mitsuo Igari, Mamoru Okano, Tomohiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 9481176
    Abstract: The image printing apparatus comprises: a droplet-discharging head in which a plurality of head modules including nozzle surfaces in which a plurality of nozzles discharging liquid are disposed are fixed and joined by head module support members and the nozzle surfaces are inclined with respect to a horizontal plane; a receiving member that receives the liquid discharged from the nozzles in the case where the droplet-discharging head performs pressure purging; and a liquid infiltration-preventing pad that is provided in the receiving member, comes into contact with the droplet-discharging head during the pressure purging, and prevents the ink, which is discharged by the pressure purging, from infiltrating into gaps between the head modules. The liquid infiltration-preventing pad is made of a non-absorbent material, and has a flow passage in which the liquid discharged by the pressure purging is collected by the inclination of the nozzle surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Takuma Nakano
  • Patent number: 9481177
    Abstract: To provide a waste ink absorber having excellent permeability and retention, a waste ink absorber absorbing waste ink discharged from a head for injecting ink is provided with a first portion and a second portion having different densities, and the first portion has higher density than the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidehiro Takano, Shunichi Seki, Yoshiyuki Nagai
  • Patent number: 9481178
    Abstract: A printing head assembly with integrated purge mechanism is disclosed. The printing head assembly comprises: (a) a liquid dispensing head comprising one or more dispensing nozzles enclosed in a nozzle plate, driven by at least first and second pressures, and (b) a shielding mask including an opening in front of the one or more nozzles, wherein the opening being configured such that when printing liquid is dispensed from the head driven by the first pressure, the liquid being dispensed in pulses through the opening in the shielding mask, and (ii) when purge printing liquid is dispensed from the head driven by the second pressure, the liquid being drawn to a capillary gap formed between the shielding mask and the nozzle plate thereby removing the purge printing liquid from the nearby nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: XJET LTD
    Inventors: Eli Kritchman, Ronen Mimon, Hanan Gothait
  • Patent number: 9481179
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an inkjet printer that forms an image with good quality. The object is achieved by an inkjet printer 1 including an ink head H ejecting an ink, an ink supply unit P communicating with the ink head H, and an ink storage unit T communicating with the ink supply unit P and supplying the ink to the ink head H through the ink supply unit P, in which at least a part of the ink supply unit P has an ink heating unit S that heats the ink until a viscosity of the ink is within the range of 5 mPa·s or more to 30 mPa·s or less, and the ink storage unit T has a shearing device that shears the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi Masumi, Yasuhiro Matsui
  • Patent number: 9481180
    Abstract: A liquid container is mountable on a mount portion in a state of being engaged into a first engaging portion with respect to a supporting portion. The liquid container includes a first wall including a first section mountable on the mount portion; a second wall facing the first wall; a third wall intersecting with the first wall and the second wall; a fourth wall which faces the third wall, and intersects with the first wall and the second wall; and a first engaged portion capable of being engaged into the first engaging portion, in which when a direction from the first wall to the second wall is defined as a Z-axis direction, the first engaged portion is projected to the side opposite to the second wall side from the first wall, and is capable of coming in contact with the first engaging portion in the Z-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naomi Kimura, Shoma Kudo, Hidenao Suzuki, Koji Nishimaki
  • Patent number: 9481181
    Abstract: Disclosed are an ink cartridge chip (200), an ink cartridge (400), and a structural body (700). The ink cartridge chip comprises a circuit board (201) and at least two container side terminals (202) for contacting apparatus side terminals (500). The circuit board comprises a first plane (203) and a second plane (204) perpendicularly intersecting with the first plane. The second plane has a surface area smaller than the first plane. The container side terminals are disposed on the second plane with the smaller surface area, with one ends intersecting with the first plane, and the other ends intersecting with a third plane opposite to the first plane. The container side terminals extend through the second plane and are arranged into a row, so that it may easily contact the apparatus side terminals, thereby improving the stability of an electrical connection between an ink cartridge and a printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: ZHUHAI NINESTAR MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Lei Qin
  • Patent number: 9481182
    Abstract: A liquid supplying device includes a liquid cartridge and a cartridge mounting unit having a liquid extraction tube. The liquid cartridge includes a liquid chamber, a valve chamber extending in a first direction away from the liquid chamber, first and second air channels, a seal member having a through-hole, a valve element having a closing part, first and second sealing parts and a liquid channel. A third sealing part is provided on the closing part or the liquid extraction tube. The liquid extraction tube entering into the valve chamber through the through-hole contacts the closing part, moving the valve element in a second direction opposite to the first direction from a first state where the closing part closes the through-hole, to a second state where the third sealing part closes the through-hole, and to a third state where the valve chamber is communicated with inside of the liquid extraction tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoya Okazaki, Tetsuro Kobayashi, Tomohiro Kanbe
  • Patent number: 9481183
    Abstract: Provided is a printer in which the rotating shaft of a ribbon roller can be connected to its driving unit with high accuracy by using a mechanism simple in structure, while preventing breakage that may occur when connecting the rotating shaft to the driving unit. The printer (1) includes a cabinet (7), a drawer unit (11) which can be drawn out of the cabinet, a ribbon roller (4A, 4B) on which a belt-like ink ribbon used for transferring to a recording sheet is wound, a driving unit (31A, 31B) which drives the ribbon roller for rotation by being connected to a rotating shaft (14A, 14B) of the ribbon roller when the drawer unit is loaded in the cabinet, and a disengaging member (40) which is provided on the cabinet and which disengages the driving unit from the rotating shaft when the drawer unit is drawn out of the cabinet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignees: CITIZEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD., CITIZEN SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akira Takahashi, Yuichi Taguchi
  • Patent number: 9481184
    Abstract: A printing method is provided that enables a high-quality transfer image to be obtained with simple steps. As a solution, a printing method according to the present invention includes an applying step of applying a latex ink onto a transfer medium 10 to form an ink applied surface, a heating step of heating the transfer medium 10 to increase the viscosity of the latex ink, a transfer step of contacting and transferring the latex ink on the transfer medium 10 to a printing target 15, and a drying step of drying the latex ink on the printing target 15.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 9481185
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a printing plate having a recessed portion formed therein shaped corresponding to a pattern to be formed on a substrate; an inking unit including an inkjet head that performs an inking process of ejecting a liquid into the recessed portion, the liquid having particles as a material of the pattern dispersed therein; a laminating unit that performs a laminating process of laminating the substrate on a surface having the recessed portion formed therein after the inking process; a post-drying unit that performs a drying process on the liquid inside the recessed portion in a state in which the substrate is laminated on the surface having the recessed portion formed therein, thereby to reduce the fluidity of the liquid; and a peeling unit that peels off the substrate from the printing plate after the drying process by the post-drying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Kodama
  • Patent number: 9481186
    Abstract: A method for automatically adjusting the setting(s) of a printer having a control circuit in communication with a sensory system and a database. The database is located in a storage medium and the data in the database includes one or more defined parameter settings corresponding to one or more media types. The sensory system is used to obtain a media identifier from media loaded into the printer. The control circuit determines the type of media from the media identifier. The media type is then compared to the database entries and used to retrieve any defined parameter setting(s) corresponding to the media type identified by the media identifier. Instructions to adjust the printer setting(s) according to the defined parameter setting(s) are determined at the control circuit. The control circuit then sends the instructions to the appropriate systems of the printer to adjusted the printer setting(s) according to the defined parameter setting(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Datamax-O'Neil Corporation
    Inventors: William M. Bouverie, Mark Allen Hitz, Richard Hatle, Marjorie Hitz
  • Patent number: 9481187
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a recording section which is provided over a transport passage for transporting a sheet in a transport direction and which has nozzles for discharging an ink onto the sheet; a platen which is provided under the recording section with the transport passage intervening therebetween and which has a plurality of ribs provided to support the sheet while being separated from each other in a widthwise direction of the transport passage perpendicular to the transport direction, the respective ribs protruding upwardly and extending in the transport direction; and a plurality of holding members which are provided to be positioned between the plurality of ribs in the widthwise direction of the transport passage over the platen on an upstream side in the transport direction from the nozzles and which abut against an upper surface of the sheet and press the sheet toward the platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 9481188
    Abstract: A liquid droplet ejecting apparatus executes multi-pass recording constituted of N scan passes including a scan pass for an outward path and a scan pass for a return path (N being an integer of 2 or more). When a proportion of executions of dot recording using a first liquid in each scan pass is made a first recording ratio, and a proportion of executions of dot recording using a second liquid in each pass is made a second recording ratio, the first recording ratio and the second recording ratio are set such that, in a first half of the N scan passes, a total ratio of the first recording ratio is larger than a total ratio of the second recording ratio, and in a second half of the N scan passes, a total ratio of the second recording ratio is larger than a total ratio of the first recording ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yoichi Kujiraoka
  • Patent number: 9481189
    Abstract: An inkjet printer including an inkjet head, a head scanning unit, a wave shape generating mechanism to deform a recording medium into a predetermined wave shape, an obtaining device to obtain information concerning a type of the recording medium to be used in a printing operation, a gap information storing device to store gap information related to a gap between an ink discharging surface and the recording medium in association with a predetermined type of the recording medium, the gap information being acquired from a predetermined range in the recording medium, and a correcting device to correct the gap information according to the type of the recording medium obtained by the obtaining device when the type of the recording medium obtained by the obtaining device is different from the predetermined type of the recording medium stored in association with the gap information, is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoru Arakane
  • Patent number: 9481190
    Abstract: The present invention provides a technique that simplifies operations for making appropriate print settings. Accordingly, a terminal apparatus serving as an information processing apparatus according to the present invention acquires, from a printing apparatus, information indicating the sheet type and size of the sheets set in each paper feed tray. Then, the terminal apparatus determines whether the acquired information includes a sheet type that matches a sheet type suitable for an attribute of information selected by a user as a print target. If it is determined that the information includes a sheet type that matches the suitable sheet type, the terminal apparatus generates print data including information designating a paper feed tray containing sheets of the matching sheet type, and transmits the generated print data to the printing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Ito, Mitsuru Konji
  • Patent number: 9481191
    Abstract: A tape cassette that includes a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a tape feed path, a front wall, and a tape feed exit adjacent to the front wall configured to expose a tape guided in the housing along the tape feed path. The tape cassette also includes a tape at least partially included within the housing and configured to be fed along the tape feed path to the tape feed exit, a first aperture, formed on the front wall above a first centerline bisecting the front wall into top and bottom halves, and to the right of a second centerline on the front wall bisecting the housing into right and left halves, and a second aperture, formed on the front wall to the left of the second centerline, wherein at least a portion of the second aperture is below the first centerline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koshiro Yamaguchi, Tsuyoshi Nagae, Takashi Horiuchi, Akira Sago, Yasuhiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 9481192
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording sheet that enables high-chroma images to be formed, has a high color-developability that enables a wide color gamut to be achieved, and enables high-quality black images to be formed using process black. The thermal transfer recording sheet includes a base material, and a yellow dye layer including a yellow dye, a magenta dye layer including a magenta dye, and a cyan dye layer including a cyan dye that are disposed on the base material. The magenta dye, yellow dye, and cyan dye each contain specific compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masao Nakano, Yuko Katsumoto, Taichi Shintou
  • Patent number: 9481193
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment comprises a first image forming section configured to form an image on a recording medium with a non-erasable material, and a second image forming section configured to form an image on the recording medium with an erasable material. The image forming apparatus further comprises a control section configured to separate image data according to attributes of the image data into first image data to be printed on the recording medium in the first image forming section and second image data to be printed on the recording medium in the second image forming section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norifumi Yagi, Takao Ishida, Kanya Hiroi, Mamoru Nomura
  • Patent number: 9481194
    Abstract: A page-turning device turning a page of a book includes a sticking part, an arm part and a first drive unit. The sticking part sticks to the page of the book being opened. The arm part is provided with the sticking part on a top end and swings such that the sticking part sticks to the page at a departure position of the page and separates from the page at a destination position of the page while the sticking part goes to and fro between the departure position and the destination position over the page of the book. The first drive unit swings the arm part around a drive shaft of the drive unit. An effective surface of the sticking part obliquely comes into contact with the page at the departure position at an initial stage of the contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hirokazu Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9481195
    Abstract: The greeting card of the present invention contains a user-interactive dial mechanism which can be manipulated to play different audio clips. The dial mechanism may be moveable, for example, between four different positions wherein moving the dial mechanism to each position triggers replay of a different audio clip at each of the four different positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: American Greetings Corporation
    Inventors: Michelle Parkinson, Lynne Shlonsky
  • Patent number: 9481196
    Abstract: Foldable financial transaction card displays that include at least one popup member, methods of making such displays, and methods of promoting such displays. Some of the displays include folding members that are unitary with the popup members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Home Depot Product Authority, LLC
    Inventors: Jessica Canaday, Nichole Flynn
  • Patent number: 9481197
    Abstract: Some implementations provide a machine-assisted method for screening a person, the method including: receiving, at a scanning device, an identification document presented by the person, the identification document showing a machine-readable code that encodes personally identifiable information of the person, a biometric of the person, and printed information; scanning the machine-readable code on the identification document to extract personally identifiable information of the person; comparing the extracted personally identifiable information against records stored at a database; determining that the extracted personal identifiable information matches a record stored at the database; receiving data encoding the biometric of the person on the identification document for comparison with the person presenting the identification document; receiving a determination that the biometric from the identification document identifies the person presenting the identification document; and determining whether the identifi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: MorphoTrust USA, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Andrew Eckel, Thiagarajan Saravanan
  • Patent number: 9481198
    Abstract: A removable cap for receiving a writing implement includes a reverse clip. The cap has a hollow crown section for receiving the writing implement and an elongate cap extension that extends axially from the hollow crown section and includes an end that terminates in a clip flange. An elongate holding prong projecting substantially perpendicular from the clip flange and extending and opening toward the closed first end of the crown section in substantially parallel-spaced relation to the cap extension so as to define in conjunction with the cap extension and the hollow crown section, an elongate U-shaped slot, which is adapted to snugly engage an attachment material inserted into the slot. A gripping member is located within the U-shaped slot and is configured to intimately engage the attachment material inserted into the slot to assist in maintaining the engagement between the cap and attachment material when the writing implement is removed from the cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: ROTUBA EXTRUDERS, INC.
    Inventors: Gregory Shea, Colleen Shea, Warren Shea, Adam Bell
  • Patent number: 9481199
    Abstract: A new design for a dry-erase board allows for writing on a clear top surface or a second surface under the clear top surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Chameleon Corporation, Inc.
    Inventors: Alfred D. Shanbour, II, Matthew D. Green, Troy M. Birdsong
  • Patent number: 9481200
    Abstract: A marker plate embossing system is provided having an improved loading device, and improved chute and hopper systems. The loading device reduces the likelihood of marker plate misfeed. The chute and hopper systems allow the embossing of varying sized embossing plates, while reducing the likelihood of embossed marker plates being delivered in an incorrect stacked-order. A marker plate removal system is also provided for removing embossed marker plates from the hopper system without the marker plates falling out of the stacked-order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Panduit Corp.
    Inventors: James R. Ward, Mark B. Richardson, Anthony G. Smith, Sr.
  • Patent number: 9481201
    Abstract: A spoke includes a spoke body that has two ends respectively forming a terminal section and the threaded section and includes a neck section arranged below the terminal section; a first flattened section set at a location below the neck section; and a second flattened section set at a location below the first flattened section in such a way that the second flattened section and the first flattened section are at different horizontal plane. In assembling the spoke body to a wheel hub and a wheel rim, the combination of the first flattened section and the second flattened section helps set the spoke body at a correct position and direction for assembly and force taking, whereby the first flattened section may absorb torsion and the second flattened section helps transfer tension and allows for change of the angle of bending.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: SHA-DAR ACCESSORIES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Wen-Hsuan Chen
  • Patent number: 9481202
    Abstract: A bicycle wheel is disclosed having a spoke, a nipple coupled to the spoke, and a rim coupled to the nipple and having an annular panel with inner and outer surfaces and an access hole. A plug is positioned over the access hole and includes a cap that is larger than the access hole, a leg extending from the cap and through the access hole, and a barb protruding radially from the leg to at least partially engage the inner surface of the annular panel. The plug can further include a resilient member compressed between the cap and the outer surface of the annular panel. On some rims, the annular panel has a non-planar contour. For these rims, the resilient member and/or the cap can be shaped to match the non-planar contour of the annular panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: SPECIALIZED BICYCLE COMPONENTS, INC.
    Inventors: Marshall Ellison Poland, Douglas Graham Russell, Joseph Edward Buckley, Jeremy Thompson
  • Patent number: 9481203
    Abstract: The invention disclosed herein is a hub-less vehicle wheel consisting of a rolling brace (14) inside a spoke-less wheel rim (12) and a two-layered solid tire (10). The outer layer of the solid tire (11) being design for contact with a vehicle road and for protecting the softer inner layer (19) with both Layers being firmly attached to the rim (12). The rolling brace (14) being designed as a support structure that attaches to a standard vehicle suspension while also negating any arbitrary forces to the tire (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Inventor: Jonathan David Johnson
  • Patent number: 9481204
    Abstract: Various aspects of a wheel rim for use with agricultural equipment, such as an irrigation system are disclosed. In one example, the wheel rim includes first and second concentric rim plates separated by a distance, each of the first and second concentric rim plates having an outer surface. The wheel rim further includes a plurality of cross members spanning the distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Inventor: Kornelius Wiebe
  • Patent number: 9481205
    Abstract: The present invention provides a racing wheel with an improved beadlock to securely capture the bead of an attached tire, a decreased rotational movement of inertia, a stiffer inner and outer radial deflection of the inner and outer rings, a stiffer bearing load, a reduced lateral radial and/or combined run-out, a reduced number of leak paths and/or a reduction in the wheel weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Weld Racing, LLC
    Inventors: Scott W. Rider, Joey R. Martin
  • Patent number: 9481206
    Abstract: The invention relates to a roller (1) having a wheel (2), which is accommodated in a housing, and a locking device (10, 17), the locking device (10, 17) being actuated by foot actuation of an actuating element (5) which is arranged so that it extends radially outwardly with respect to a vertical (V) that passes through a securing portion of the roller (1). To provide a roller which is advantageously formed with regard to locking by foot operation, it is proposed that an actuating portion of the actuating element (5) extends circumferentially at least far enough that a second foot actuation in the circumferential direction with respect to the vertical (V) may be carried out next to an area of the actuating portion by way of which a first foot actuation has been carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: TENTE GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Block, Uwe Harksen
  • Patent number: 9481207
    Abstract: A caster device includes a base attachable to a supported item, one or more rolling elements that interface with the base to facilitate rolling of the supported item along a support surface, and an external sleeve coupled to the base for adjustable vertical positioning of the external sleeve relative to the base. The external sleeve can be placed in a first vertical position relative to the base where the rolling element(s) do not contact the support surface, and in a second vertical position relative to the base where the rolling elements do contact the support surface. A rimguard may be rotatively coupled with the external sleeve so that as the external sleeve is rotated to the first vertical position, the bottom rim of the external sleeve rotates relative to a rimguard inner surface and a rimguard outer surface does not rotate relative to the support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: TECHNI, LLC
    Inventors: George Fanourgiakis, Lawrence J. Brucia
  • Patent number: 9481208
    Abstract: A tire according to an embodiment of the present invention specifically has the annular inner ring band and the annular outer ring band separated from and concentric with the inner ring band, on the outer peripheral side of the wheel, and includes an air bag between the inner ring band and the outer ring band, the air bag including the air intake/discharge mechanism that communicates with the outside. A support body for coupling the inner ring band and the outer ring band is included. A plurality of the air bags is present in a peripheral direction of the tire. Furthermore, the outer ring band, is formed of a rubber composition for a tire. An air discharge hole of the air bag communicates with an outer most layer of the outer ring band. With this configuration, the tire that has advantages of both of a non-pneumatic tire and a pneumatic tire is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Company, Limited
    Inventors: Jun Matsuda, Yoshiaki Hashimura, Yasunobu Seki
  • Patent number: 9481209
    Abstract: A pneumatic vehicle tire includes a carcass, a tire belt configured radially outside of the carcass and a profiled tread. The tire belt is formed of a plurality of tire belt plies, of which at least two tire belt plies are configured as working plies having parallel reinforcements made of steel and embedded in rubber, and having an angle of 10° to 24° with respect to the circumferential direction (U). The reinforcements of the one working ply have an axial direction of inclination opposite with respect to the reinforcements of the other working ply. The reinforcements of the first of the two working plies have an extendability D of D<0.2% at 10% of the breaking force, and the reinforcements of the second of the two working plies have an extendability D of D>0.2% at 10% of the breaking force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Theresia Becker, Thomas Glasewald
  • Patent number: 9481210
    Abstract: Plural lug grooves are formed that extend from an outermost circumferential direction groove towards a tire equatorial plane side and are disposed sloped with respect to the tire equatorial plane at intervals along the tire circumferential direction. Arc shaped communication grooves are formed in segment land portions arising from a land portion being segmented in the tire circumferential direction by the lug grooves. The communication grooves communicate between the lug grooves adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sotaro Iwabuchi, Takaaki Kojima
  • Patent number: 9481211
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire according to the present invention includes, one or more main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of lateral grooves extending in the tire width direction, the main grooves and the lateral grooves defining a block row formed by a plurality of blocks, at least one sipe being disposed in each block. Each block has a first cutaway groove with one end opening into a lateral groove located on one side of the block and the other end terminating within the block, a second cutaway groove with one end opening into a lateral groove located on the other side of the block and the other end terminating within the block, and a connecting narrow groove having a groove width narrower than that of the first and the second cutaway groove and connecting the first and the second cutaway groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoya Ochi, Kento Hashimoto