Receiving Medium Patents (Class 347/105)
  • Patent number: 10023755
    Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments, compositions and methods for forming solvent-based and water-based carbon nanotubes inks with removable additives are provided. In some embodiments, an ink composition is provided that includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes, a solvent, and a triazole-based removable additive, where the plurality of carbon nanotubes are dispersed within the solvent and wherein the triazole-based removable additive stabilizes the plurality of carbon nanotubes that are dispersed in the solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: NANO-C, INC.
    Inventors: Ramesh Sivarajan, Henning Richter, Viktor Vejins
  • Patent number: 9907332
    Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to decorating and printing of an edible design on a printable base media based on a user selected image. A central control device may provide, to a remote computing device, a graphical user interface for reviewing images, receive, from the remote computing device via the graphical user interface, selection of an image, generate print data based on the selected image, and transmit the print data to the remote computing device for printing with an edible media printer equipped with edible ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Decopac, Inc.
    Inventors: Carlos A. Davila, Todd Brobst, Duane Wahlin, Elizabeth Glover, Douglas Boysen, John R. Anderson, Kent D. Whitten, Andy Schnoebelen
  • Patent number: 9902833
    Abstract: A pretreatment liquid for ink jet textile printing according to an aspect of the invention used by being applied to a fabric before applying an ink composition for ink jet textile printing to the fabric includes a multivalent metal salt; and an aqueous medium, in which the concentration of the multivalent metal salt is within in a range of 0.025 mol/kg or more and 0.08 mol/kg or less. A textile printing method according to another aspect the invention includes applying a pretreatment liquid to at least a partial region of a fabric; and applying an ink composition for ink jet textile printing to at least a portion of the region to which the pretreatment liquid is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takako Sugiyama, Masakazu Ohashi, Toru Saito
  • Patent number: 9889696
    Abstract: A coated paper for industrial inkjet printing presses that achieves excellent uniformity in color densities and ink absorbability, has the capability of suppressing strike-through of inks, and achieves excellent paper feeding characteristics is provided. The paper comprises: a base paper, and a coating layer containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a cationic resin and a water-soluble polyvalent cationic salt, and a pigment containing kaolin, on the base paper. The coated paper surface on the side where the coating layer is located has an arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) of is 4.5 ?m to 7.5 ?m, and has 1 to 350 protruding parts per 1.0 square centimeter, wherein a protruding part has a maximum width of 10 ?m to 100 ?m measured using a photographed image of the coated paper surface taken by magnifying 50 times using an electron microscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Paper Mills Limited
    Inventors: Hideki Takada, Tetsuya Nishi, Masanori Nagoshi
  • Patent number: 9878568
    Abstract: An article in the form of a printable substrate having a showthrough value of about 0.14 or less, and an opacity value of at least about 88% which includes a paper substrate with a first and second surfaces formed of paper fibers having a basis weight of from about 12 to about 32 lbs/1300 ft2, and a substrate filler in an amount in the range of from 0 to about 30% by weight of the paper substrate; and a surface size layer on at least one of the first and second surfaces, the surface size layer having about 50 lbs or less per ton of the paper substrate of a starch surface sizing agent and a multivalent metal salt drying agent in an amount sufficient to impart to the at least one of the first and second surfaces a black print density value of at least about 0.8 when inkjet printed with pigmented inks and a waterfastness value of at least about 85% when inkjet printed with dye-based inks, the printable substrate having a MD tensile strength of at least about 12 lbs/in.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY
    Inventor: Kapil M. Singh
  • Patent number: 9840104
    Abstract: A printable substrate, along with methods of its formation, is generally provided. The printable coating can include a base sheet defining a first surface and a second surface and a printable coating on the first surface of the base sheet. The base sheet can be constructed from a cellulosic nonwoven web and a saturant. The printable coating can include a plurality of inorganic microparticles and a crosslinked material, where the crosslinked material is formed from a crosslinkable polymeric binder and a crosslinking agent. An image can be formed on the printable substrate, such as by printing an ink composition onto the printable substrate (e.g., onto the printable coating).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Neenah Paper, Inc.
    Inventors: Cheryl B. Rueckert, Aaron Jacobson, Abdu Bunch, Steven L. Vervacke
  • Patent number: 9816234
    Abstract: An enhanced paper for printing, including an ablation resistant coating or ablation resistant fibers, wherein the paper is ablation resistant so that it is not damaged by a light beam that illuminates paper with a fluence that ablates ink or toner but would damage paper that is non-ablation resistant; and wherein the enhanced paper has physical properties of standard paper for printing with laser printers and ink printers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: REEP TECHNOLOGIES LTD
    Inventors: Barak M. Yekutiely, Elliott R. Silcoff
  • Patent number: 9789677
    Abstract: A recording medium, including: an ink-receiving layer configured to receive an ink for inkjet recording; and a transparent sheet having a total luminous transmittance of 50% or more, wherein the recoding medium has a layered structure in which the transparent sheet and the ink-receiving layer are sequentially stacked, and the ink-receiving layer includes a gap-absorption-type ink-receiving layer including a composition including at least inorganic fine particles and polyvinyl alcohol having a weight-average polymerization degree of 2,000 or more and 5,000 or less and a saponification degree of 70 mol % or more and 90 mol % or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Nisca Inc.
    Inventors: Takahiro Tsutsui, Yoichi Sonobe, Masami Aruga, Daizo Kitajo, Hiroyuki Ishinaga, Hiromitsu Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: 9751333
    Abstract: The invention has an object to provide a printing method wherein a wide variety of recording medium can be used, and printed materials richer and more vivid in color can be obtained by using sublimation dyes. To achieve the object, provided is a printing method including: an ink applying step for applying an ink on a recording medium (100), and the ink contains a solvent, a binder resin (11) dispersed or emulsified in the solvent, and a sublimation dye (12) entrained in particles of the binder resin (11); and a heating step for heating the ink to diffuse the sublimation dye (12) among the particles of the binder resin (11) for color development.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 9744512
    Abstract: There is provided a novel gelator which enables formation of gel by a simpler technique. A gelator including two or more alkylamide compounds of General Formula [I]: (where R1 is a C1-30 aliphatic group optionally having a substituent) or two or more alkylurea compounds of General Formula [II]: (where R2 is a C1-30 aliphatic group optionally having a substituent), wherein the gelator forms a gel exhibiting thixotropic properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignees: KYUSHU UNIVERSITY, NISSAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Yutaka Ohsedo
  • Patent number: 9732474
    Abstract: A hydrophobic coated paper substrate formed from a paper substrate of paper fibers and internal sizing agent, a surface size layer of one or more surface sizing starches, optionally one or more non-starch hydrophobic surface sizing agents, and optionally one or more paper pigments, on at least one surface of the paper substrate, and at least one hydrophobic pigmented coating layer of a paper pigment component and a hydrophobic pigment binder component on at least one surface size layer. Also a method for preparing such coated paper substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: International Paper Company
    Inventors: Michael F. Koenig, David V. Reed
  • Patent number: 9611588
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for providing a surface of a fiber based substrate with a barrier layer wherein the barrier layer is formed by depositing nanofibers on the surface by the use of electrospinning or meltspinning and wherein the film is formed by post treatment of the substrate. The invention further relates to a substrate comprising such a carrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Stora Enso OYJ
    Inventors: Isto Heiskanen, Kaj Backfolk
  • Patent number: 9610793
    Abstract: The type or surface condition of a sheet is determined with high accuracy even when performance of an optical sensor is degraded by ink mists or the like. Specifically, at the time of detecting light from a sheet with a sensor to make a determination on the sheet, at least two detection values are obtained by changing a relation between the sensor and the sheet, and the type or surface condition of the sheet is determined by using the at least two obtained detection values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuki Igarashi
  • Patent number: 9604471
    Abstract: An aqueous inkjet printer coats media with a material prior to printing without having to dry the material on the media. The printer includes a coating applicator for applying the material to the surface of a rotating member and a dryer for evaporating water from the material to raise its viscosity to a gel-like state. The coating is transferred to media in a nip formed between the rotating member and a roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Chu-heng Liu
  • Patent number: 9597913
    Abstract: The invention relates to an image receiving material for offset printing comprising a support and an image receiving layer, the image receiving layer comprising a porous pigment and an aqueous dispersion of a polymer particle characterized in that the image receiving layer further comprises a copolymer comprising alkylene and vinyl alcohol units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert NV
    Inventors: Dirk Quintens, Dirk Kokkelenberg
  • Patent number: 9583346
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a silicon carbide semiconductor device includes steps below. A silicon carbide substrate having a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, the first main surface having a maximal diameter greater than 100 mm, is prepared. An impurity region is formed on a side of the first main surface of the silicon carbide substrate. In a plan view, a cover member is arranged on the side of the first main surface so as to cover at least the entire impurity region. The silicon carbide substrate is annealed at a temperature lower than a melting point of the cover member while the cover member is arranged on the side of the first main surface of the silicon carbide substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Yamada, Takeyoshi Masuda, Taku Horii
  • Patent number: 9573349
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a multi-layered structure includes: a) a water-impermeable substrate; b) a first layer on at least one surface of the substrate comprising a water-based tie-layer composition; c) a second layer formed over the first layer, wherein the second layer is a water-based ink-receptive composition includes: i) a multivalent metal salt; and ii) a hydrophilic binder polymer; d) a third layer including at least one water-based ink composition deposited in a single pass by an inkjet printing process, wherein the water-based ink composition includes an anionically stabilized, water-dispersible pigment; and e) additional layers deposited over the one or more ink layers and exposed second layer, the additional layers selected from one or more of the following compositions: i) an opaque white layer; ii) a protective layer; and iii) an adhesive layer, further includes a continuous protective plastic or paper layer adhered thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas Joseph Dannhauser, Douglas Eugene Bugner, David D. Putnam, Brian L Lindstrom
  • Patent number: 9523009
    Abstract: An alcohol-based printing ink composition comprising: a polyurethane urea resin (D) that is obtained by a reaction of polyol (A), diisocyanate (B), and a chain extender (C); a coloring agent (E); and a medium comprising an alcohol (F) and water, wherein the polyol (A) contains polyether polyol (A1) and polyester polyol (A2), and the medium comprises 75% by weight or more of alcohol (F).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignees: TOYO INK SC HOLDINGS CO., LTD., TOYO INK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Oya, Harunori Narihiro, Takefumi Nomura
  • Patent number: 9487668
    Abstract: An ink set includes a first ink that contains a white material and a first resin; and a second ink that contains a color material other than the white material and a second resin, wherein the first resin includes a component (A) causing cracks when resin of 0.5 g is dropped onto a slide glass and is dried at a temperature of 50° C. and a humidity of 0% RH for 10 minutes, and wherein the second resin includes a component (B) of at least one of polyolefin wax and ethylene vinyl acetate resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ippei Okuda, Tsuyoshi Sano
  • Patent number: 9475329
    Abstract: A print medium surface treatment includes a first composition that includes a filler, and a polymer that is non-film forming until it is subjected to film forming conditions. The first composition has a charge density that is large enough to promote crashing of particulate colorants of an ink and low enough to avoid crashing of the filler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Gracy Apprisiani Wingkono, Xiaoqi Zhou, Christopher Cobbs
  • Patent number: 9464381
    Abstract: Disclosed is a pretreatment solution for treating a fabric before inkjet printing comprising an aqueous solution of (A) 1% to 60% by weight of at least one multivalent cationic salt; (B) 0.2% to 10% by weight of at least one acid; and (C) and 0.5% to 5% by weight at least one borate, all % are by weight of the aqueous pretreatment solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: EASTERN TECH LLC
    Inventors: Shawn Liu, Andrew Chastain
  • Patent number: 9463642
    Abstract: A method for printing an image with authentication features, including: printing a media treatment material onto a print medium in accordance with a pattern of predefined authentication features, and printing one or more visible printing materials onto the print medium in accordance with an image pattern, thereby providing a printed visible image. The media treatment material alters an interaction between the visible printing materials and the print medium so that characteristics of the interaction, such as printing material penetration characteristics, are different in image regions where the media treatment material was printed than in image regions where the media treatment material was not printed. The difference in the characteristics of the interaction between the one or more visible printing materials and the print medium causes the pattern of authentication features to be detectable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael J. Piatt, Terry Anthony Wozniak, James A. Katerberg, Wayne Lee Cook, Douglas Eugene Bugner, Allan Francis Sowinski
  • Patent number: 9421751
    Abstract: Wet lithographic printing members for imaging by an inkjet printer using pigment-based aqueous ink and method for calibrating the amount of the inkjet ink to be injected in solid areas of an image are disclosed. An exemplary printing member can comprises a base substrate and a top hydrophilic coating layer having a thickness in the range of 2 to 10 microns above the base substrate. A volume of less than 10 nl/mm2 of inkjet ink is used in order to image areas in which the image is solid. Areas of the top hydrophilic coating layer, which are imagewise covered by aqueous pigmented inkjet ink, become hydrophobic. In some embodiments after imaging, the surface of the imaged printing member can be treated with acidic colloidal silica solution. Exemplary treatment can comprise wiping the surface of the imaged printing member with the acidic colloidal silica solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: VIM-TECHNOLOGIES LTD
    Inventors: Michael Karp, Aida Porat, Sergei Bonder, Boris Brant
  • Patent number: 9409413
    Abstract: In a recording apparatus, a dot diameter of a first color ink formed by discharging a predetermined amount of the first color ink onto a surface of a second color ink fixed on a recording medium is smaller than a dot diameter of the second color ink formed by discharging the predetermined amount of the second color ink onto a surface of the first color ink fixed on the recording medium, and a recording head discharges the plurality of inks such that with respect to pixels forming an image in a unit area, pixels formed by discharging the second color ink and the first color ink in this order are greater than pixels formed by discharging the first color ink and the second color ink in this order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takumi Kaneko, Rie Takekoshi, Kazuki Narumi, Ayumi Hirakawa
  • Patent number: 9399241
    Abstract: An image recording method includes applying an ink containing a pigment and polymer particles to a region of a recording medium, and applying a liquid composition capable of destabilizing the dispersion of the pigment in the ink to the recording medium so as to cover at least part of the region of the recording medium. The liquid composition contains 6.0% by mass or more of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of the compounds expressed by General Formula (1) and the compounds expressed by General Formula (2) relative to the total mass of the liquid composition. The content of the polymer particles in the ink is 1.0% by mass or more relative to the total mass of the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mamiko Kaji, Takashi Imai
  • Patent number: 9375975
    Abstract: A canvas with a textured appearance includes a base layer, a gesso layer on the base layer, a microporous layer on the gesso layer, the microporous layer including uniform cracks formed according to a weave pattern of the base layer; and a transparent layer to fill the cracks. A method of forming a canvas with a textured appearance includes forming a base layer, forming a gesso layer on the base layer, forming a microporous layer on the gesso layer, the microporous layer comprising uniform cracks formed according to a weave pattern of the base layer, and forming a transparent layer to fill the cracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Fredrick Muya Makau, Dheya M. Alfekri
  • Patent number: 9370963
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a wall panel for a caravan, the wall panel having a first face and a second face, comprises printing a first design onto the first face of the wall panel for example using a first direct-to-substrate printer. A second design may be printed onto the second face of the wall panel, for example using a second direct-to-substrate printer (which may be the same printer as, or a different printer to, the first printer). Alternatively, the first design may be printed onto a first skin for the wall panel. The second design may be printed onto a second skin for the wall panel. The first and second skins, with the designs printed thereon, may then be assembled into a wall panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: CGI Creative International Limited
    Inventor: Steven James Perry
  • Patent number: 9327539
    Abstract: A dye sublimation printing method for a light transmissive medium includes the following steps. First, a ribbon is provided above the light transmissive medium. Then, the light transmissive medium is moved. During the period that the light transmissive medium is moved, at least one first dye zone of the ribbon is heated, so that the dye in the first dye zone is transferred onto the light transmissive medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: HiTi Digital, Inc.
    Inventor: Shiu-Sheng Hsu
  • Patent number: 9263289
    Abstract: Provided is an adhesion-promoting composition between a curable composition for imprints and a substrate, which excellent in adhesiveness and can control pattern failure. An adhesion-promoting composition used between a curable composition for imprints and a substrate, which comprises a compound having a molecular weight of 500 or larger and having a reactive group, and has a content of a compound, with a molecular weight of 200 or smaller, of more than 1% by mass and not more than 10% by mass of a total solid content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Akiko Hattori, Hirotaka Kitagawa, Yuichiro Enomoto
  • Patent number: 9233561
    Abstract: A lens sheet is provided with a lens layer which is formed by arranging lenses, which extend in a y direction as a first direction, in a plurality of lines in an x direction as a second direction which is a direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, and an ink absorbing layer which configures a surface on the opposite side with regard to a surface which is configured by the lens layer, where the thickness of an edge which is an end surface on one side of the lens layer in the x direction is thinner than the thickness of an edge which is an end surface on the other side. The printer performs recording from the edge which is a reference side toward the edge on the opposite side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Yoshihisa, Katsumi Yamada, Hiroshi Shirotori, Katsuhito Suzuki, Tomio Sonehara
  • Patent number: 9230206
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a save mode setting unit, a reference cost obtaining unit, a minimum monetary-sum extraction unit, and a usage volume setting unit. The minimum monetary-sum extraction unit is configured to extract a minimum monetary sum for each tone from reference costs for a plurality of image forming modes. The usage volume setting unit is configured to: obtain a post-reduction cost where a reduced monetary sum by the save mode is subtracted from the minimum monetary sum; and set reference usage volume as usage volumes for the dark color material and the light color material in the save mode, the reference usage volume being obtained based on the reference costs for the image forming modes corresponding to the post-reduction cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Kawasaki, Toru Nakayama
  • Patent number: 9214661
    Abstract: An electrode manufacturing method which can lower the impedance of electrochemical devices is provided. The electrode manufacturing method comprises the steps of applying a coating material containing an active material particle, a binder, and a good solvent for the binder to a current collector, so as to form a coating film made of the coating material; removing the good solvent from the coating film; applying a poor solvent for the binder to the coating film having removed the good solvent; and pressing the coating film coated with the poor solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuo Naoi, Kazutoshi Emoto, Kiyonori Hinoki, Masahiro Saegusa, Kenji Nishizawa, Mitsuo Kougo
  • Patent number: 9205643
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing printed products using an industrial inkjet printer and the method does not generate soiling of the images and printing unevenness. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a printed product using an industrial inkjet printer, comprising: a step for printing on coated printing paper using an industrial inkjet printer, wherein the printing speed of the industrial inkjet printer is 60 m/min or more, the coated printing paper contains a support and a coating layer, and the coating layer contains ground calcium carbonate, having a cumulative frequency of a particle diameter of 1.0 ?m or less in a volume-based particle size distribution of 95% by volume or more and a mean particle diameter of 0.1 ?m to 0.28 ?m, at 60% by mass or more of the total amount of pigment in the coating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI PAPER MILLS LIMITED
    Inventors: Masanori Nagoshi, Koji Idei, Jun Urasaki
  • Patent number: 9174479
    Abstract: The invention provides coated printing paper having base paper and on at least one surface of the base paper, a coating layer containing a pigment and a binder as main components, wherein the base paper contains calcium carbonate, the coating layer contains ground calcium carbonate as a pigment in an amount of 50 parts by mass or more relative to 100 parts by mass of the total of the pigment(s) in the coating layer, the base paper and/or the coating layer contains a calcium compound other than calcium carbonate, and the content of calcium derived from the calcium compound is 3 mmol to 60 mmol, both inclusive, in terms of calcium ions per 1 m2 of the base paper and/or the coating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI PAPER MILLS LIMITED
    Inventors: Masanori Nagoshi, Kazutoshi Iida, Koji Idei, Toru Kaneko
  • Patent number: 9150741
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a producing method for an ink composition for forming absorption layers of thin film cells. The ink composition comprising CIGS or CIS nanocrystals and a chelating agent specified for the CIGS or CIS nanocrystals. According to the present invention, the mixture comprising at least two substances selected from the group consisting of Group IB elements, Group IIIA elements, Group VIA elements, salts of Group IB elements, salts of Group IIIA elements and salts of Group VIA elements can be react into a single composition while the existence of the chelating agent. The chelating agent can alternatively be aromatic diamine compounds, alkyl diamine compounds or aliphatic diamine compounds. With the implementation of the present invention, manufacturing the CIGS or CIS films in large scale and simplifying the conventional manufacturing processes are capable of accomplishment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Inventor: Chi-Jie Wang
  • Patent number: 9102156
    Abstract: A technique is described for determining pixel dropout in a printhead that has a plurality of print elements arrayed along an axis. In the technique, a dataset of integrated intensity values, in the printing direction on a substrate, of a captured image is generated and used to determine if pixel dropout has or may have occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: ENTRUST DATACARD CORPORATION
    Inventor: Thomas J. Wagener
  • Patent number: 9073305
    Abstract: Provided is a recording method of discharging ink including resin and a solvent to a heated recording medium to record an image on the recording medium by an ink jet recording apparatus, in which an absorption amount of the ink per unit mass of the recording medium is equal to or less than 1.0, and a wetting index of the recording medium measured based on JIS K6768 is equal to or more than 46, and when the wetting index is set as x, and the absorption amount of the ink per unit mass of the recording medium is set as y, a relationship of y?0.002x?0.027 is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Nozawa
  • Patent number: 9067448
    Abstract: A coating composition for pre-treating a substrate prior to inkjet printing thereon, and an inkjet receiving medium including a substrate and having a topmost layer coated thereon, where the coating composition has a solids content which includes at least 30 wt % of one or more aqueous soluble salts of multivalent metal cations, and particles had primarily of polymer having a Rockwell Hardness of less than R90 and having a mode equivalent spherical diameter of at least about 2 micrometers. When coated, the composition provides at least 0.01 g/m2 of particles included primarily of polymer having a Rockwell Hardness of less than R90 and which have an equivalent spherical diameter of i) at least about 2 micrometers and ii) at least 0.1 micrometer greater than the minimum coated thickness of the topmost layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas Joseph Dannhauser, Yang Xiang, Raouf Botros
  • Patent number: 9055262
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image with a colored toner and a transparent toner based on image data of a read document, including a dispersion calculation unit that calculates a dispersion of a target pixel and a group of pixels including the target pixel and peripheral pixels of the target pixel; an applying area determining unit that determines whether to apply the transparent toner on the target pixel based on the dispersion of the target pixel; and an amount determining unit that determines an amount of the transparent toner to be applied on the target pixel for which the transparent toner is determined to be applied based on the dispersion of the target pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Koji Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9044976
    Abstract: A platen unit includes a supporting member that is grounded and is made of a metal, a platen supporting member that is provided on the supporting member, includes an inner space, is formed of a conductive resin, and includes a first contact point, a platen that is provided on the platen supporting member, is formed of a conductive resin, and includes a second contact point which contacts the first contact point, and a seal member that is provided between the platen supporting member and the platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Kawakami, Takao Yamamoto, Satoru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9035981
    Abstract: Device to reproduce images or graphical patterns in general on large surfaces, comprising at least a printing system (14) mobile in at least one direction with respect to a support frame (12)>> an optical viewing system (100) associated with the support frame (12) and able to recognize the position of the portion of image already executed, and to recognize possible reference signs affixed in the step when said portion of image was executed, in order to allow the correct positioning of the device so as to execute the adjacent portion of image that has to be executed next.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Inventors: Alessandro Dal Col, Carlo Tavian, Giacomo Battiston
  • Patent number: 9022508
    Abstract: In a transport for reversing a front and a back of a paper so as to print the back of a printing paper after printing the front of the printing paper, an attachment amount of ink to the front of the printing paper is determined for each region of the front, and on the path of the transport, in a predetermined position where the warpage of the opposite direction to the warpage of the swelling curl of the printing medium generated by the attachment of ink to the front of the printing paper is generated in a site of the printing paper having a region in which the amount of ink attachment is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the transport of the printing medium waits for a predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ue, Tokujiro Okuno, Atsushi Sumii
  • Patent number: 9005726
    Abstract: The present invention provides a recording medium for an ink jet ink, which is capable of printing directly with an ink jet ink without a surface treatment step necessary for use of an ordinal plastic film as a substrate and which causes no problem of peeling or the like after printing, and also provides a printed material produced by ink jet printing on the recording medium and a production method therefor. Specifically, printing is performed with various ink jet inks on a layer (A) of a single-layer or multi-layer film (I) used as a recording medium, the layer (A) containing a cyclic polyolefin resin or an acid-modified polyolefin resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: DIC Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Matsubara, Takeo Ikeda, Yoshitaka Satoh, Hiroshi Harada, Yoshihiro Sato
  • Patent number: 9004673
    Abstract: This invention includes an input operation unit which accepts the operation of selecting a first or a second printing medium and outputs information indicating the selected printing medium, a conveyance path, a conveyance mechanism which conveys the selected printing medium in the conveyance direction, and a control unit. The conveyance mechanism includes a main roller, a driven roller which presses the main roller through the selected printing medium, a rotation member having a cam shape, and an elastic member which deforms to change a pressing force in accordance with the rotational position of the rotation member. The control unit rotates the rotation member to the first rotational position when the first printing medium is selected, and rotates the rotation member to the second rotational position where the pressing force becomes smaller than that at the first rotational position when the second printing medium is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keisei Hakamata, Hiroyuki Saito, Takao Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9004674
    Abstract: A printing system for indicating print media quality to printer users includes a printing assembly configured to route print media along a pathway for printing. In an example, the system includes, but is not limited to, a thermal printer having a thermal print head for printing onto paper. The system also includes a light meter configured to detect light reflected from the print media, such as the paper. The light meter also measures a characteristic of the detected light. An indicator is coupled to the light meter, and configured to present a quality level of the print media to a user based on the measured characteristic of the detected light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Kuczynski, Hye S. Makley, Melissa K. Miller, Heidi D. Williams, Jing Zhang
  • Patent number: 8991997
    Abstract: An ink leveling device for controlling a temperature difference across a substrate having ink disposed on the upper surface, the device including a cooling device cooling a bottom of a substrate to a first temperature that is lower than a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink, a heating device heating the upper surface of the ink layer to a second temperature that is greater than the viscosity threshold temperature of the ink and a device applying shear force across the upper surface of the ink layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Ashish V. Pattekar, Lars Erik Swartz, David K. Biegelsen, Armin R. Volkel, Gregory J. Kovacs
  • Patent number: 8991968
    Abstract: A duplex printer system includes a double-sided label web and a duplex printer operable to print both sides of the label web. The label includes exposed adhesive on a first side thereof. The duplex printer includes a printer frame and first and second print heads arranged to print respective sides of the label web. The first print head is shiftably mounted relative to the printer frame for movement into and out of a printing position, in which the first print head is operable to print within a printable region of the first side. The first print head is selectively shifted out of the printing position so as to avoid contact with exposed adhesive during label web advancement. The first print head includes a printer interface positioned in printing engagement with the label web when the first print head is shifted to the printing position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Premier Print & Services Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Bruce Raming
  • Publication number: 20150064423
    Abstract: The invention provides an inkjet ink composition, including at least: a water-soluble polymer which has a number average molecular weight of 1,000 or more; particles which have a polymerizable group; a colorant; and water, a ratio of a content of the particles to a content of the water-soluble polymer in terms of mass being from 0.6 to 3.5, and a viscosity of the inkjet ink composition at 30° C. being from 10 mPa·s to 14 mPa·s. The invention further provides an image recording method, including at least imparting the inkjet ink composition onto a recording medium by jetting, from an inkjet head, the inkjet ink composition at a droplet volume of from 10 pL to 120 pL. The invention further provides an image-recorded material, including at least an image recorded, on a recording medium, by the image recording method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventor: Makoto OHMOTO
  • Patent number: 8967755
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a print medium, a conveyance unit, art image forming unit, a cutter unit, a holding unit, a sensor, and a controller. The print medium has an adhesive face with no separation sheet. The cutter unit cuts the medium having an image formed into a print medium piece. The holding unit is configured to hold the piece in a state in which the piece is drawable from outside of the body. The holding unit has a surface separatable from an adhesive face of the piece to hold the adhesive face of the piece. The sensor detects presence or absence of the piece held by the holding unit. After the sensor detects that the piece is drawn out, the controller controls the conveyance unit to convey the medium to the holding unit and controls the holding unit to hold the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Kikura, Kazuyoshi Matsumoto, Kazuyoshi Kondo, Yuuzoh Obata, Norikazu Yanase, Yoshinori Uchino, Gaku Hosono
  • Patent number: 8960882
    Abstract: An ink jet recording method includes forming a glittering image on a recording medium by ejecting a glittering ink containing silver onto the recording medium by an ink jet method, applying a protective ink containing a resin and substantially no coloring material onto the glittering image, and forming a color image by ejecting a color ink containing a coloring material to the glittering image by an ink jet method. The protective ink is applied between the glittering image and the color image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Denda, Tsuyoshi Sano