Segmented Print Character Printers (e.g., Dots, Etc.) Patents (Class 101/93.04)
  • Patent number: 10864723
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes: an ejection module; a supply chamber connected to the ejection module and to a tank configured to store liquid; and a damper chamber connected to the supply chamber. The supply chamber has: a first opening communicating with the damper chamber; and a second opening communicating with the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keita Sugiura
  • Patent number: 10821447
    Abstract: A small-form-factor high-security destruction machine for optical media has a weight empty of about 16.3 lbs and holds about 5 lbs of residue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: APPLIED MAGNETICS LAB, INC.
    Inventor: Charles A. Castronovo
  • Patent number: 10493771
    Abstract: A dot impact printing head for a printing apparatus that performs printing on a medium by repeating transport of the medium in a sub-scanning direction and movement of the dot impact printing head in a main scanning direction that intersects the sub-scanning direction, the dot impact printing head including at least one wire pin row formed as a result of a plurality of wire pins being arranged at a fixed pitch in the sub-scanning direction, in which all of the wire pins that configure the wire pin row are disposed shifted in three or more different positions in the main scanning direction within a range of the same dimension as the pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Yoshigai, Takefumi Yamada
  • Patent number: 10486447
    Abstract: A printing system has a print head shuttle containing a print head mounted on a print guide rail, a support shuttle containing support electronics for the print head mounted on a support guide rail adjacent and parallel to the print guide rail, and at least one electronic signal-carrying cable connected between the support electronics and the print head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventor: David L. Knierim
  • Patent number: 10325286
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a message transmission method. A first portable device transmits an identity information of a first wireless signal transmitter and a message content to a cloud server. The cloud server analyzes the message content to obtain a message tag of the message content, and obtain a wireless signal transmitter tag of the first wireless signal transmitter according to the identity information. The cloud server then obtains at least one target identity information representing at least one target wireless signal transmitter by using the message tag and the wireless signal transmitter tag, to obtain an association between the message content and the at least one target identity information. When receiving a second identity information, a second portable device compares the second identity information with the at least one target identity information and receives the message content from the cloud server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: CHUNGHWA TELECOM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jia-Ming You, Shih-Cheng Yang, Cheng-Yang Chen
  • Patent number: 9971334
    Abstract: The present invention relates to apparatuses, systems, and methods for defining positions where characters such as text, numbers, symbols, or the like are to be inscribed. Specifically, the positions may correspond with geometric shapes including, without limitation, arcs, circles, angles, lines, rectangles, or the like. Even more specifically, the apparatuses, systems, and methods define the positions using a plurality of points, such that information such as coordinates, angles, radiuses, perimeters, centers, heights, lengths, circumferences, or the like are not required. Further, measuring tools, prints, or operator skill/knowledge is not required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Kwik Mark, Inc.
    Inventor: Emil Cindric
  • Patent number: 9935535
    Abstract: A flat linear vibration motor is disclosed. The flat linear vibration motor includes a housing having an accommodation space; a first magnet received in the accommodation space and fixed in the housing; and a vibrator unit suspended in the housing. The vibrator unit includes a clump weight, a third magnet, a driving magnet, and a fourth magnet; a second magnet fixed in the housing, the first magnet, the vibrator unit and the second magnet arranged one by one along a vibration direction of the vibrator unit; engaging assemblies suspending the vibrator unit inside the housing and driving the vibrator unit to move along the vibration direction; wherein the flat linear vibration motor further includes a ring driving coil received in the accommodation space, the ring driving coil being spaced from and surrounding the driving magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: AAC TECHNOLOGIES PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Shun Guo, Hongxing Wang, Lubin Mao
  • Patent number: 9592700
    Abstract: A visual display assembly adapted for use as an anti-counterfeiting device on paper currency, product labels, and other objects. The assembly includes a film of transparent material including a first surface including an array of lenses and a second surface opposite the first surface. The assembly also includes a printed image proximate to the second surface. The printed image includes pixels of frames of one or more images interlaced relative to two orthogonal axes. The lenses of the array are nested in a plurality of parallel rows, and adjacent ones of the lenses in columns of the array are aligned to be in a single one of the rows with no offset of lenses in adjacent columns/rows. The lenses may be round-based lenses or are square-based lenses, and the lenses may be provided at 200 lenses per inch (LPI) or a higher LPI in both directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Lumenco, LLC
    Inventors: Mark A. Raymond, Hector Andres Porras Soto
  • Publication number: 20140109778
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a hammer bank for a line printer includes a back plate having a front surface, a back surface and a uniform thickness between the front and back surfaces. At least one hammer is disposed in front of the back plate. The at least one hammer is spring-biased for forward movement and away from the back plate and is releasably retained against such forward movement by a magnetic force acting rearwardly thereon. An elongated pole piece that is associated with the at least one hammer extends forwardly from the front surface of the back plate and is selectively operable to interrupt the magnetic force acting thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: Printronix, Inc.
    Inventors: John W. Gemmell, Rohit Sharma, Rudy Concepcion, JR.
  • Patent number: 7325987
    Abstract: A system for depositing a material is described. The system uses at least one cantilever, and more typically a plurality of cantilever to transfer small amounts of material from a source of material to a substrate surface. One application for the system is a printing system in which the material is an ink and the substrate is a sheet of paper. By repeating this process, the cantilever places many units of ink to form the pixels in an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventor: Eric Peeters
  • Patent number: 7172351
    Abstract: An armature manufacturing method of forming an armature including an arm holding a printing wire, and magnetic circuit forming members attached to the arm places the magnetic circuit forming members on the arm with a resistive layer of a resistive material having high electric resistance sandwiched between the arm and each of the magnetic circuit forming members, and welds together the arm and the magnetic circuit forming members with the resistive films sandwiched between the arm and the magnetic circuit forming members by spot welding. The arm and the magnetic circuit forming members of the armature can be joined together by welds having a high weld strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takahiro Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 7037011
    Abstract: A tape ribbon cartridge and method are provided for regulating printer operation of a printer operative to transmit a download signal. The cartridge includes a housing, an ink ribbon, and a data communication component. The ink ribbon is disposed within the housing. The data communication component is disposed upon the housing and includes operational information being representative of at least one attribute of the ink ribbon. The data communication component is operative to receive the download signal and to provide the operational information to the printer in response thereto. The operational information is receivable by the printer and is utilizable to determine the printer operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Amano Cincinnati, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott T. Forest, Armando Lopez, Albert Van Grouw, III
  • Patent number: 6904842
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for adaptively controlling printer functions of a dot matrix printer in response to sensing the type of printer ink cartridge being used. An identifying resistive value is applied to surface of the cartridge and installed within the printer. The printer includes contacts that include sensors and sensor circuitry useful to detect a presence of the resistive indicator and the resistive value thereof. The sensed resistive value is used to directly control printer functions, and/or to access stored data or printer control routines specific to the type of cartridge, or desired performance characteristics. Stored information, which may be appended by other sensed information such as printer usage data, is used to selectively regulate printer operation to achieve maximum efficiency and performance from the particular ink cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Amano Cincinnati, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Jakubowski, Frank Benna
  • Patent number: 6779935
    Abstract: An impact line printer comprising a print ribbon wound on a pair of spools for traversal in two directions across a plurality of print hammers having tips for impacting the print ribbon to print on a media. A permanent magnet having two pole pieces having pole piece ends in adjacent relationship to the print hammers retains the print hammers until a coil in associated relationship with each pole piece releases the magnetic retention of the hammers. A magnetically permeable extension is longitudinally adjacent each hammer which acts as a magnetic shunt to permit more rapid printing rates and higher impacts. The extensions conduct and shunt magnetic flux from the hammers through the longitudinally adjacent extensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Printronix, Inc.
    Inventor: John W. Gemmell
  • Patent number: 6759012
    Abstract: A pin holder for a microarraying apparatus comprising at least one group of bodies of circular cross-section packed together to form a network of pathways in gaps between the bodies; and an array of pins slidably arranged in the pathways. The pins are held in parallel to each other automatically as a result of the self organized packing of the circular cross-section bodies, which may be spheres, for example ball bearings, or cylindrical, for example needle roller bearings. The pin holder provides for very accurate parallel alignment of the pins, low pin friction, as well as low cost and complexity of manufacture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: Genetix Limited
    Inventors: James Keith Haslam, John Richard Andrews
  • Patent number: 6742867
    Abstract: A printing device includes a plurality of print heads, each of which has a printing zone. An extension of this printing zone in a direction of printing defines a line height and an extention of this printing zone perpendicular to the direction of printing defines a column width. The printing heads are arranged in several parallel rows which are located at a distance from one another. The print heads in different rows are offset in relation to each other direction perpendicular to the direction of printing. A separation distance between the print heads in each row corresponds to the column width multiplied by the number of rows. The distance between the rows corresponds to the line height multiplied by the number of rows plus one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rainer Eck, Michael Koblinger, Karl Erich Albert Schaschek
  • Patent number: 6695495
    Abstract: An ink density closed loop control system for an ink ribbon of an impact printer having a reservoir roller formed of an ink absorbent material with at least one or more channels within the reservoir roller fluidly connected to a pump and ink supply. A transfer roller can contact the reservoir roller for imparting ink to the ink ribbon. A sensor senses the relative amount of ink on the print ribbon and an electrical drive responsive to the sensor drives the pump for a flow of ink to the one or more channels. The sensor can sense ink on different segments of the ribbon and, with two or more channels in the reservoir roller can distribute ink to two or more segments of the reservoir roller depending upon the ink sensed at a particular segment of the ribbon. A further enhancement of this invention provides a multi-viscosity ink to compensate for changes in ambient temperature conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Printronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis R. White, Jeng-Dung Jou, Lihu Chiu, Gordon B. Barrus, Y. Grant Chang
  • Patent number: 6682233
    Abstract: In a wire dot printer head of the present invention, an armature is formed by coupling a magnetic circuit formation member having a supported piece with one end inserted into a cavity formed on a surface of a yoke to an arm coupled to a wire. The supported piece of the armature is rotatably supported by a support point, thereby a side surface of the cavity and a side surface of the supported piece, and a bottom surface of the cavity and an end surface of the supported piece can be set in the proximity. Accordingly, magnetic resistance between the magnetic circuit formation member and the yoke can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Toshiba TEC Kabushika Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasunobu Terao, Keishi Tsuchiya, Takahiro Kawaguchi, Tetsuro Ichitani
  • Patent number: 6616357
    Abstract: A dot line printer having printing heads of uniform characteristics, and reducing the steps number of adjustment for uniform printing quality. A dot line printer having a printing head assembly includes a plurality of spring-charged type printing heads which are linearly arrayed. The printer comprises a plurality of impact pulse generators for generating impact pulses to be applied to said printing heads; and a plurality of drive circuits, each of which is electrically connected to corresponding said impact pulse generator and to corresponding group of divided printing heads for controlling the driving of the printing heads in response to the impact pulses generated in said impact pulse generators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hideaki Ozawa
  • Patent number: 6561707
    Abstract: A needle printing head comprising a support (11) able to axially guide a plurality of printing needles (15), each of which has one end attached to a mobile armature (16) of a corresponding actuation electromagnet (17) having a ferromagnetic core (18) provided with polar extensions. A separation element (30) is interposed between the mobile armatures (16) and the corresponding polar extensions. The separation element (30) is made of a metal material and comprises elements (33, 34) able to reduce the effects of the eddy currents which are generated by the energizing of every electromagnet (17).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Compuprint SpA
    Inventors: Andrea Garramone, Ettore Quattrini, Roberto Boggio
  • Patent number: 6239517
    Abstract: A linear shuttle motor assembly used for reciprocally moving a printer head includes a rotor and a stator having the same mass. A loud, i.e., the printer head, is connected to the stator and a counter balance to the rotor. The rotor and the stator are driven to reciprocally move in mutually opposite directions. A 180 degree phase synchronizing mechanism is used to synchronize phases of the rotor and the stator. The mechanism is fixed to a housing and connected to the rotor and the stator. By this configuration, the amount of power transmission loss is reduced to a minimum, which improves energy conversion efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Nakamura, Toshio Hiki
  • Patent number: 6213013
    Abstract: A skipping (draft) printer driving method is proposed for a line dot printer whose head bank (which executes shuttle action in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction) is provided with printing pins which are arranged in the shape of saw blade. In the saw blade printing pin arrangement, a printing pin group having L (L: 2, 3, 4, . . .) printing pins for executing dot printing for 1st through L-th dot printing rows respectively is repeated in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. According to the skipping printer driving method, on each stroke (a to-action or a fro-action) of the head bank, one or more printing pins selected from the L printing pins of the printing pin group are assigned to execute dot printing during the stroke, and the printing pins that have been assigned to execute dot printing during the stroke are driven by a driving circuit of the line dot printer during the stroke so as to execute dot printing of part of a desired dot pattern to be printed on paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Sunako