Medium And Processing Means Patents (Class 347/101)
  • Patent number: 9975327
    Abstract: A direct-to-object printer includes a plurality of imaging devices that generates image data of an object secured in a holder before the holder and the object pass a plurality of printheads for printing an ink image on the object. A controller receives the image data and converts it to an object profile. The controller operates ejectors in the printheads with reference to the object profile to attenuate inconsistent ink image density and ink image distortion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Xin Yang, Paul J. McConville, Christine A. Steurrys, David R. Stookey, Martin L. Frachioni, Dale R. Breed
  • Patent number: 9962965
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an discharging head which discharges liquid on a printing medium mounted on an endless belt; a transport unit which transports the printing medium in a transport direction; a medium press portion which is provided on an upstream side of the discharging head in the transport direction and includes a medium pressing unit which compresses the printing medium; and a control portion which controls the medium press portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Noritaka Mitsuo
  • Patent number: 9962978
    Abstract: A can printing apparatus 1 includes a main printer 2 having plural plate cylinders 47 for printing different colors and performing printing onto side surfaces of cans, a secondary printer 6 performing additional printing to the side surfaces of the cans after the printing by the main printer, and a can inspection machine 5 inspecting a printing state. The can inspection machine 5 includes a can rotation device 51 which rotates cans C, a can imaging device 52 which takes images of the cans C and an image processing device 53 which processes the taken images, and the secondary printer 6 includes a printing head 6a which faces a side surface of a can held by the can rotation device 51 of the can inspection machine 5 and a processing unit which gives an instruction of printing to the printing head 6a based on a predetermined printing pattern and processing data of the image processing device 53 of the can inspection machine 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: I. MER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masayuki Izume
  • Patent number: 9962963
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing of an inkjet flatbed table including a large support layer with an area of at least 1.5 m2 to support an ink receiver in an inkjet printing system, the method including the steps of fixing a plate on top of a base unit by forming a part of or whole the support layer; and abrading the fixed plate to have a flatness on the top of the support layer less than 300 ?m and wherein the plate is characterized by including a thermoplastic polymer resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: AGFA NV
    Inventor: Luc De Roeck
  • Patent number: 9956790
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a forming section which forms an image on a medium, a transport section which transports the medium in a first direction, and a heating section which heats a transport path on which the medium is transported, in which the forming section includes a first forming section which forms a pre-treatment liquid layer that includes a thermosetting resin on the medium, a liquid ejecting head which forms an image layer on the medium by ejecting liquid, and a second forming section which forms a post-treatment liquid layer that includes a thermosetting resin and is different from the pre-treatment liquid layer on the medium, and B<A and B<C in a case where content of the thermosetting resin in the pre-treatment liquid is A, content of the thermosetting resin in the liquid is B, and content of the thermosetting resin in the post-treatment liquid is C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshinobu Yamazaki, Takayoshi Kagata, Naoki Kayahara, Masashi Kamibayashi, Yohei Shibata, Kazunari Tsukada
  • Patent number: 9944092
    Abstract: A post-processing agent application control device includes: a first post-processing agent application amount determination unit configured to determine an amount of a post-processing agent to be applied to an image formed on a recording medium; a first glossiness determination unit configured to determine a first glossiness that is a glossiness of a non-image area of the recording medium in a case where the determined amount of the post-processing agent is applied to the non-image area; and a second post-processing agent application amount determination unit configured to, if glossiness difference between the determined first glossiness and a second glossiness that is a glossiness of the non-image area of the recording medium is applied is larger than the predetermined value, change an amount of the post-processing agent to be applied, in a stepwise manner from an image area to the non-image area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoru Nagasawa
  • Patent number: 9937733
    Abstract: A transport apparatus that transports a medium while heating the medium includes a transport belt that has a support surface on which a plurality of protrusions are formed, and transports the medium while attracting the medium with an intermolecular force generated between the plurality of protrusions and the medium, and a heating section for heating the medium transported by the transport belt. The plurality of protrusions are formed of a metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tsuneyuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9925803
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: an ejection head that prints an image on a recording medium supported by a support member by ejecting liquid from a nozzle formed in a portion facing the support member; and an irradiation section that includes a housing which is open toward the support member, and a light emitting section housed in the housing and emitting light to cure the liquid, the irradiation section being configured such that light emitted from the light emitting section is irradiated onto the recording medium supported by the support member via the opening, wherein the housing includes an inclined section which extends from the opening toward the ejection head such that a distance from the inclined section to the support member decreases toward the ejection head, and the inclined section is provided so that ?2>?1 is established.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhito Hori, Masaaki Ando, Toshio Kumagai
  • Patent number: 9902154
    Abstract: A platen disposed so as to face a printing head includes a third support portion. A second suction hole is formed in an area through which a recording medium passes at least beyond the third support portion in the width direction of the recording medium or downstream of the third support portion in the conveyance direction. A supply port is formed between the third support portion and the second suction hole. Air is sucked into the second suction hole and supplied toward the recording medium through the supply port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Arihito Miyakoshi, Masahiko Kubota, Yusuke Imahashi, Nobuhito Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Arimizu, Yoshinori Itoh
  • Patent number: 9895907
    Abstract: An inkjet printer is an inkjet printer for performing printing on a print medium, and includes: a platen, having a groove formed at a position facing an inkjet head and configured to support a print medium; an air blowing unit, for sucking air from an inside of the groove; a lid, attachable to and detachable from the platen and configured to cover an opening of the groove and support the print medium by a surface of the lid when attached to the platen; a storage part, for storing the lid detached from the platen; and a link mechanism, for guiding movement of the lid between the platen and the storage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazutaka Tamaki
  • Patent number: 9895918
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to control a first image former to form a first test pattern on a recording medium, the first test pattern including figures arranged in a first direction on a two-dimensional lattice defined with an X-axis direction intersecting a Y-axis direction parallel to a conveyance direction, the first direction being inclined relative to the X-axis direction, control a conveyor to convey the recording medium in the conveyance direction, and in response to the recording medium being conveyed to a position where a second test pattern intersects or is in proximity to the first test pattern, control a second image former to form the second test pattern on the recording medium, the second test pattern including figures arranged in a second direction on the two-dimensional lattice, the second direction being inclined relative to each of the X-axis direction and the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ito, Kohei Terada
  • Patent number: 9895905
    Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus includes: a droplet ejection head; an irradiation part that irradiates a recording medium with infrared laser light for evaporating a water content of a droplet landed on the recording medium; a supply part that includes a rectifying part disposed along a conveyance direction of the recording medium and causes the rectifying part to supply, above the recording medium, air flowing toward a downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium; and a vent part that vents at least a part of air flown above the recording medium toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Isozaki, Akira Sakamoto, Hiroyuki Tsukuni, Tomozumi Uesaka
  • Patent number: 9884496
    Abstract: A decurler is configured for use in an aqueous inkjet printer to monitor ink contamination of the indent roller in the decurler and generate a signal that maintenance is required prior to the printer beginning to produce wrinkled media sheets by the ink contamination on the indent roller. A reflective sensor is mounted on a shaft for bidirectional movement to sweep the length of the indent roller and generate electrical signals indicative of the presence or absence of contamination on the indent roller. The controller receiving signals from the reflective sensor compares the signals from the reflective sensor to a predetermined threshold prior to commencing monitoring of the indent roller to determine positions where the sensor is opposite the indent roller and positons where the sensor is opposite a frame in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: David A. VanKouwenberg
  • Patent number: 9873278
    Abstract: A receiver layer for use in dye diffusion thermal transfer printing includes a release agent and a swellable inorganic lamellar material that is at least partially in an exfoliated or intercalated state. The receiver layer may be thermally transferable. The swellable inorganic lamellar material may be a clay, which may be at least partially in the exfoliated state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Morven McAlpine, Christopher Bennett
  • Patent number: 9873270
    Abstract: There is provided a printer including: a conveyance unit; a liquid jetting head including at least one nozzle array in which nozzles are arrayed; a carriage; a guide; a carriage moving unit; a memory; and a controller. The controller performs printing by performing scan printing operation and a conveyance operation multiple times repeatedly and adjusts jetting timings of the liquid jetted from the nozzles at positions in a scanning direction based on pieces of inclination information corresponding to the respective positions. In second or subsequent scan printing operation of the multiple times of scan printing operation, the controller delays or advances, based on the inclination information, the jetting timing in the second or subsequent scan printing operation relative to the jetting timing in scan printing operation immediately before the second or subsequent scan printing operation more greatly, as inclination of the at least one nozzle array increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Aya Kimura
  • Patent number: 9849665
    Abstract: A platen is disclosed. In an example, the platen may include a shirtboard configured to receive a garment. A backing is coupled to the shirtboard. The backing and the shirtboard are compressible to selectively compress the shirtboard against the backing during a printing operation. An example method of printing on a garment includes threading a garment onto a board so that the board is wearing the garment, supporting the board against a backing during compression, and printing on the garment. In an example, a fabric of the garment is pretreated, heat-pressed, and printed on, all without removing the garment from the board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Livingston Systems, LLC
    Inventor: Darren Livingston
  • Patent number: 9844932
    Abstract: A controller determines the amount of driving by a sub-scanning driver and the number of nozzles to be used in accordance with a maximum amplitude of vibration of an inkjet head in a sub-scanning direction, where the maximum amplitude is detected by a displacement detecting sensor when the inkjet head is moved in the sub-scanning direction before starting printing. Then, while moving the inkjet head in a main-scanning direction, the controller performs printing by selecting nozzles to be used in accordance with displacement of the inkjet head in the sub-scanning direction detected by the displacement detecting sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadashi Takakusa, Mamoru Saito
  • Patent number: 9844959
    Abstract: The recording device includes an adhesive belt extending across a plurality of rotating bodies configured to support and convey a recording medium, a first sensor configured to detect that the recording medium is separated relative to the adhesive belt in a first range, a second sensor configured to detect that the recording medium P is separated relative to the adhesive belt in a second range within the first range, a take-up unit configured to take up the recording medium, and a control unit configured to control the take-up unit so as to take up the recording medium when the first sensor detects that a separation position of the recording medium is within the first range, and control the rotating body to stop movement of the adhesive belt when the second sensor detects that the separation position of the recording medium is within the second range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tomonori Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9840092
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that ejects droplets from an image forming apparatus, and forms an image on a surface of a printing medium, a pre-processing unit that applies a pre-processing liquid to the surface of the printing medium before the image is formed by the image forming unit, and a post-processing unit that applies a post-processing liquid different from the pre-processing liquid to the surface of the printing medium after the image is formed by the image forming unit. The pre-processing unit applies an amount of the pre-processing liquid which is determined based on a type of the printing medium and the post-processing unit applies an amount of the post-processing liquid which is determined based on the type of the printing medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignees: RICOH COMPANY, LTD., SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuki Yasu, Yoshinari Suzuki, Yukihito Niino, Seiya Murata
  • Patent number: 9834011
    Abstract: A medium flattening method, when a medium is transported by being adhered to an adhesive layer which is on a surface of a transport belt, includes detecting a presence or absence of floating being generated in the medium on the transport belt using a sensor, executing a process for flattening to flatten the floating in the medium in the case where the floating exists, and transporting the medium, where the floating is eliminated using the process for the flattening, to a liquid discharge region of a liquid discharge section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hirotaka Ishizuka
  • Patent number: 9802424
    Abstract: In a method and a device for inkjet printing on containers, at least a first and a second subprint complementing each other in the printing direction so as to form a print image are joined. The first subprint is printed starting from a connection area or up to a connection area. Subsequently, the second subprint is printed with a feed towards the connection area such that the first and second subprints interleavingly overlap in the connection area. This allows a joining of subprints with unobtrusive transitions even in the case of dimensional tolerances and complicated cross-sections of the respective container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventor: Andreas Sonnauer
  • Patent number: 9802426
    Abstract: A platen includes: a plurality of supporting portions capable of supporting a sheet; negative pressure chambers, to which a negative pressure is supplied, so as to suck a sheet facing the supporting portions to the supporting portions; and ink receiver and that receive ink ejected from a printhead to the outside of the sheet supported by the supporting portions. The plurality of supporting portions are arranged in a sheet width direction (i.e., an X direction) transverse a sheet conveyance direction. The plurality of negative pressure chambers are disposed in a manner corresponding to the plurality of supporting portions, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahide Onuma, Tetsuji Kurata, Seiji Ogasawara, Masakazu Tsukuda, Yasunori Saito
  • Patent number: 9796197
    Abstract: The inkjet printing machine includes a controlling unit, an inkjet head including a plurality of nozzles, and a head elevating motor that causes the inkjet head to move up or down. The controlling unit causes, while the inkjet head is being moved in a main-scanning direction, the head elevating motor to move the inkjet head up or down depending on unevenness of a surface of a printing medium, selects a nozzle from the nozzles depending on a distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the printing medium at a position of each of the nozzles, and performs printing by using the selected nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tadashi Takakusa
  • Patent number: 9782983
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus for curing ink ejected onto a base material and forming recorded matter on the base material is provided. The inkjet recording apparatus includes an ejection unit configured to eject the ink onto a first area of the base material and a second area surrounded by the first area, a curing unit configured to cure the ink ejected onto the base material, and a control unit configured to control the curing unit in such a way that a time from ink ejection onto the first area to ink curing is longer than a time from ink ejection onto the second area to ink curing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Shinichi Hatanaka
  • Patent number: 9770937
    Abstract: Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface, wherein the panels at least comprise a substrate and a top layer, wherein the top layer comprises a paper layer having a printed pattern, and wherein the method at least comprises the step of providing the paper layer with thermosetting resin and the step of providing the resin provided paper layer with at least a portion of the printed pattern, wherein for providing the portion of the printed pattern use is made of pigment containing inks deposited on the paper layer by means of a digital inkjet printer, and wherein the dry weight of the total volume of the pigment containing inks deposited on the paper layer is lower than 9 grams per square meter, wherein for the pigment containing ink use is made of a water-based ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: UNILIN, BVBA
    Inventor: Benjamin Clement
  • Patent number: 9764566
    Abstract: A suction box, intended for a system for transporting flat media (4) includes at least one endless belt (6), formed with a plurality of through-holes, in a media-printing machine (1), equipped with at least one printing unit (2). The suction box has a face (16) past which the belt (6) passes. A suction device (17) generates a vacuum in the suction box. The face (16) of the suction box is formed with at least one zone at a first suction pressure (22, 23, 24), which is in communication with the suction device (17), so as to apply the vacuum through the holes in the belt (6) to the media being transported by the belt (6), and the face of the suction box has at least one zone at a second pressure (26, 27). The zone at a second pressure is situated in the region of the printing unit (2). The magnitude of the second pressure is greater than the magnitude of the first pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: BOBST MEX SA
    Inventors: Jean-Philippe Besson, Pascal Marciano
  • Patent number: 9764564
    Abstract: A system and methods for printing and curing ink deposited on a substrate using a first light source and a second light source. In various embodiments, the first light source emits one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation subtype C (UVC), and the second light source emits one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation subtype A (UVA), subtype B (UVB), subtype V (UVV), or a combination thereof. The substrate is configured such that any ink deposited on the substrate by a printer head is predominantly exposed to the first light source prior to the second light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING, INC.
    Inventors: Dan-Cristian Grigore, Paul Andrew Edwards, Steven Billow
  • Patent number: 9764545
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes an ejecting unit which can eject first ink for image forming and colorless second ink onto a recording medium; and a control unit which can control ejecting operations of the first ink and the second ink in the ejecting unit, in which the control unit performs a plurality of ejecting operations of the first ink with respect to one ejecting operation of the second ink, so that at least a part of a landing position of the second ink and a landing position of the first ink overlap on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Fujita
  • Patent number: 9744790
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are sacrificial coating compositions comprising at least one hydrophilic polymer; at least one hygroscopic agent; at least one surfactant; at least one non-reactive silicone release agent; and water. In certain embodiments, the at least one non-reactive silicone release agent is chosen from polyether modified polysiloxane and nonreactive silicone glycol copolymers. In certain embodiments, the at least one non-reactive silicone release agent may be present in an amount ranging from about 0.001% to about 2%, based on the total weight of the composition, such as from about 0.03% to about 0.06%. Also disclosed herein is a blanket material suitable for transfix printing comprising a sacrificial coating composition, as well as an indirect printing process comprising a step of applying a sacrificial coating composition to a blanket material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Guiqin Song, Suxia Yang, Gordon Sisler, Edward G. Zwartz
  • Patent number: 9738101
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, a printing apparatus includes a plasma treatment unit configured to acidify at least a surface of a print medium by applying plasma treatment to the surface of the print medium, a first primer applying unit configured to apply primer treatment by applying treatment liquid to the surface of the print medium having undergone the plasma treatment, and a first recording unit configured to perform recording by inkjet recording on the print medium having undergone the primer treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Matsumoto, Junji Nakai, Masakazu Yoshida, Toshitaka Osanai
  • Patent number: 9715644
    Abstract: One embodiment comprises a system that includes a first print head that applies a colorant to a medium based on a first bitmap that indicates printable features for the medium, and a second print head that applies a clear protectant to the medium based on a second bitmap. The system receives the first bitmap, and replicates the printable features in the first bitmap to generate the second bitmap. The system identifies boundaries of the printable features in the second bitmap, and expands the boundaries of the printable features in the second bitmap where the clear protectant is applied to the medium. The system directs the first print head to apply the colorant to the medium to form the printable features based on the first bitmap, and directs the second print head to apply the clear protectant to the printable features formed on the medium based on the second bitmap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: John Thomas Varga, Alexandru Virgil Panek
  • Patent number: 9714354
    Abstract: An active ray-curable inkjet ink which contains a photocurable compound, a photopolymerization initiator, a gelling agent and a non-polymerizable liquid compound that is in a liquid state at 25° C., with the liquid compound being contained in an amount of 15-50% by mass relative to the mass of the ink. Since droplets of this active ray-curable inkjet ink are prevented from combining with each other after landing, this active ray-curable inkjet ink is capable of providing high quality images. Meanwhile, the surface gloss of printed images is increased, and printed images having less coating film thickness difference (namely, less relief-like texture) can be formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Iijima, Toshiyuki Takabayashi, Akio Maeda
  • Patent number: 9694597
    Abstract: White-balance is improved when printing on colored media, while minimizing the time and use of costly materials required by present approaches. In an embodiment, the typical solid white fill or background layer is altered by including in the white layer one or more of the other colors already available in the printer to shade this layer. Thus, a small amount of cyan, for example, helps balance a pink-ish (red) media; yellow is used for blue media; and magenta is used for green media; as well as combinations thereof. A combination of transparent process inks and opaque white helps to maintain brightness (luminosity).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING, INC.
    Inventors: Peter Heath, Joseph A. Lahut, Dwight Cram, Bryan Ko
  • Patent number: 9694603
    Abstract: An example support structure assembly is described as including a brace, a media guide, and a compression member. An example brace includes a structure defining a mount area on a first surface of the brace and a first protrusion extending from a second surface of the brace. An example media guide includes a blade member, a hinge member, and a second protrusion extending away from the hinge member. An example compression member is coupled to the first protrusion of the brace and the second protrusion of the media guide to place a force on the media guide where a vector defines the force with a first component magnitude in a first direction towards the mount area that is greater than a second component magnitude in a second direction away from the mount area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Keith Jariabka, Alvin Post
  • Patent number: 9669627
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described herein for driving droplet ejection devices with multi-level waveforms. In one embodiment, a method for driving droplet ejection devices includes applying a multi-level waveform to the droplet ejection devices. The multi-level waveform includes a first section having at least one compensating edge and a second section having at least one drive pulse. The compensating edge has a compensating effect on systematic variation in droplet velocity or droplet mass across the droplet ejection devices. In another embodiment, the compensating edge has a compensating effect on cross-talk between the droplet ejection devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: FUJIFILM DIMATIX, INC.
    Inventors: Hrishikesh V. Panchawagh, Christoph Menzel
  • Patent number: 9623677
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a plasma treatment unit that performs plasma treatment on a surface of a treatment object to acidify at least the surface of the treatment object; and a recording unit that performs inkjet recording on the surface of the plasma treatment subjected to the plasma treatment by the plasma treatment unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junji Nakai, Hiroyoshi Matsumoto, Masakazu Yoshida, Souichi Nakazawa, Tatsuro Watanabe, Hiroyuki Hiratsuka, Koji Nagai
  • Patent number: 9616682
    Abstract: There is provided a process liquid coating apparatus comprising: a recording medium conveyance unit configured to convey a recording medium; a coating roller configured to rotate in accordance with the conveyed recording medium to apply process liquid on a surface of the recording medium; a pressure roller configured to cause the coating roller to apply the process liquid on the surface of the recording medium by forming an abutment part for nipping and pressing the recording medium with the coating roller; and a winding member configured to form a bent conveyance path along which the recording medium is bent with respect to a conveyance direction so that the recording medium is wound around the surface of the pressure roller, wherein the winding member is disposed adjacent to the pressure roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Akatsu, Yutaka Nagasawa, Akitomo Kuwabara, Yuuji Ohmura, Hirofumi Ohkushi, Hirotaka Kobayashi, Sho Sawahata
  • Patent number: 9610785
    Abstract: Disclosed is a tape printer including a feed portion, a feed path, a print portion, and a cut portion. The feed portion performs pre-print feed to feed a tape before a print process and post-print feed to feed the tape after the print process. In addition, the feed portion feeds the tape forward as the post-print feed such that the upstream-side end of an image printed on the tape is positioned on the downstream side of a cut position and the tape backward as the pre-print feed when the cut portion has not performed a cut operation after the post-print feed at the time of starting the following print process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Oida, Takeshi Hosokawa, Yusuke Harigae, Noriaki Murayama, Junpei Watanabe, Ayako Inoue, Tomoko Yamada
  • Patent number: 9610789
    Abstract: Provided is a recording apparatus which includes a recording portion which can perform recording, a transporting portion which transports a medium by coming into contact with the medium and is provided in an area upstream from the recording portion in a transporting direction of the medium, and a plurality of tension adjusters which are provided in a cross direction crossing the transporting direction and each of which can apply tension to the medium from at least either a recording surface side or a non-recording surface side opposite to the recording surface of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Junya Kato
  • Patent number: 9566814
    Abstract: An ink jet recording process using a glitter pigment provides satisfactory glitter even on a recording medium having a rough surface. The ink jet recording process includes a glitter image-forming step of forming a glitter image by discharging a glitter ink composition containing a glitter pigment to a recording medium and a pressing step of pressing the layer of the glitter image formed on the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Koike, Atsushi Denda
  • Patent number: 9566804
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a head, a first light source, a second light source. Liquid droplets of a photo-curable ink composition are applied to a recording medium. After one second or less elapses from the time when the liquid droplets are applied to the recording medium, the liquid droplets are illuminated with light of the first light source. After 0.1 second or more and one second or less elapses from the time when the liquid droplets are illuminated with light of the first light source, the liquid droplets are illuminated with light of the second light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Miyabayashi
  • Patent number: 9555648
    Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing a recorded matter including applying a first ink including a volatile first liquid to an intermediate transfer medium having ultraviolet transmittance; applying, using an ink jet method, second ink including a coloring agent and a polymerizable compound polymerized by irradiation of ultraviolet to locations on the intermediate transfer medium where first ink is applied; partially polymerizing the polymerizable compound by irradiating surface side of the intermediate transfer medium to which the second ink is applied with ultraviolet rays from the opposite side surface; transferring the second ink irradiated by ultraviolet in the polymerizing of the polymerizable compound to a recording medium; and curing the polymerizable compound configuring the second ink transferred to the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kiyohiko Takemoto
  • Patent number: 9555647
    Abstract: A printing device includes a paper medium print mode configured to execute printing on a paper medium; and a textile print mode configured to execute printing on a fabric medium, types of inks used in the textile print mode being greater in number than types of inks used in the paper medium print mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Sayama, Toru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 9550378
    Abstract: A conveyor device is installed opposite to a recording head in a recording apparatus. The conveyor device includes a conveyor belt and a suction section. The conveyor belt conveys a recording medium. The suction section includes a guide member having first through holes within a first region and second through holes outside of the first region. The guide member has a surface that is located opposite to the recording head with the conveyor belt therebetween and that has first grooves and second grooves therein. The first region includes at least a head facing region located directly opposite to the recording head. The first through holes are located inside of the first grooves. Each of the first grooves is shorter than the recording head. The second through holes are located inside of the second grooves. The suction section sucks on the recording medium through the conveyor belt and the guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tomohisa Soda, Takeshi Watanabe, Hidenori Takenaka, Jumpei Hobo, Masami Fujihara
  • Patent number: 9481534
    Abstract: A conveyance device includes an image-forming drum (52) which fixes a rear surface (PB) of a sheet (P) and conveys the sheet along an arc-shaped path at a transfer position (312), a chain gripper which includes a gripper (64D) which is disposed on the downstream side of the image-forming drum in a conveyance direction and holds a leading end portion of the sheet, conveys the sheet along the arc-shaped path at the transfer position, and is disposed at a position at which a portion of the path leads to the image-forming drum side from the transfer position, and a blower unit (300) which is disposed on the chain gripper side from the transfer position, blows air from the chain gripper side to the image-forming drum side on the downstream side of the transfer position in the conveyance direction, and blows air toward the sheet conveyed by the chain gripper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Nitta, Hiroshi Uemura
  • Patent number: 9446614
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a head that discharges ink to a printing region, and causes ink dots formed on the printing region to be cured to form a line image in a first direction, and a movement section that that causes the printing medium to move relative to the head in a second direction intersecting the first direction, in which the printing region is divided into a plurality of areas in the second direction, and the movement section alternately switches the area in which the line image is formed by the head between the plurality of areas while causing the printing medium to relatively move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Keigo Sugai, Masahisa Otake, Yoshikazu Hama
  • Patent number: 9451108
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, an opening/closing portion that is opened or closed relative to the apparatus main body, a first member configured to move as the opening/closing portion is opened or closed, a second member that contacts the first contact portion in the first member and interlocks with the first member, a sensor configured to generate a signal corresponding to a position of the second member, and a recess portion that is provided in one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion and engages with another portion of the first contact portion and the second contact portion, in which the recess portion has a surface inclined relative to a movement direction of the first contact portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akihiro Mitomo
  • Patent number: 9440455
    Abstract: A printing device includes a paper medium print mode configured to execute printing on a paper medium; and a textile print mode configured to execute printing on a fabric medium, a print resolution in the textile print mode being lower than a print resolution in the paper medium print mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Sayama, Toru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 9428658
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an aqueous sublimation transfer ink composition. The sublimation transfer ink composition comprises a polysaccharide. The present invention further relates to a method of preparing said ink composition. The present invention also relates to a method for providing an image onto a receiving medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: OCE-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventors: Ronald M. J. Hofstra, Mark A. M. Leenen
  • Patent number: 9409736
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a flap pivoting between a first state to contact a first path-defining member and a second state to be separated from a first path-defining member. The first path-defining member, which faces a second path-defining member in a facing direction, includes a guide surface for guiding a sheet conveyed along a first conveying path, a contact surface positioned farther from the second path-defining member in the facing direction than the guide surface and configured to contact the flap in the first state, and an inclined surface positioned downstream of the contact surface in a conveying direction and inclined such that an upstream end thereof in the conveying direction is closer to the second path-defining member in the facing direction than a downstream end thereof. The upstream end of the inclined surface is closer to the second path-defining member in the facing direction than the contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shota Iijima, Masao Mimoto, Takashi Omura