Measuring And Testing (e.g., Diagnostics) Patents (Class 347/19)
  • Patent number: 10336089
    Abstract: In an implementation, a printhead includes a nozzle and a fluid channel. A sensor plate is located within the fluid channel. An impedance measurement circuit is coupled to the sensor plate to measure impedance of fluid within the channel during a fluid movement event that moves fluid past the sensor plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Adam L. Ghozeil, Scott A. Linn, David Maxfield, Andrew Van Brocklin
  • Patent number: 10328701
    Abstract: A method of calibrating a wiper position in an ink jet printer having a nozzle plate and a wiper arranged to wipe the nozzle plate, the nozzle plate having a number of nozzles each of which is in fluid communication with a pressure chamber, each pressure chamber having an actuator for exciting a pressure wave in a liquid in the pressure chamber, and a detection system arranged to detect pressure fluctuations in the pressure chamber includes adjusting the wiper to a position in which it is set against the nozzle plate; exciting a pressure wave in at least one of the pressure chambers; recording the pressure fluctuations in said at least one pressure chamber; deciding, on the basis of the detected pressure fluctuations, whether the wiper is set correctly against the nozzle that is in fluid communication with said at least one pressure chamber; and correcting the position of the wiper if necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: OCÉ HOLDING B.V.
    Inventor: Benjamin P. H. Van Rens
  • Patent number: 10322202
    Abstract: A microfluidic cartridge is provided. The microfluidic cartridge has a reservoir configured to contain a fluid composition. The microfluidic cartridge has a first face and a second face joined with the first face along a first edge. The second face comprises a second face outermost point in an X-direction. The microfluidic cartridge has a third face opposing the first face in a Z-axis and joined with the second face along a second edge. The microfluidic cartridge includes an electrical circuit having a first end portion disposed on the first face and a second end portion disposed on the second face. The microfluidic cartridge has a microfluidic die in electrical communication with the electrical circuit and in fluid communication with the reservoir. The microfluidic die is disposed on a region of the second face that is positioned inward from the second face outermost point in the X-direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Dana Paul Gruenbacher, William Michael Cannon, James Daniel Anderson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10326912
    Abstract: An object is to reduce coloring of specular reflection while improving gloss uniformity (particularly, gloss clarity). Recording is performed at least part of a surface of a recording medium by using a first color material with relatively high transmittance. In this case, control is performed such that thickness variation in the applied first color material is set to have an amplitude that generates interference fringes and to have a desired cycle within a range of 40 ?m or more and 320 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomokazu Yanai
  • Patent number: 10324666
    Abstract: A printing system including a printing mechanism, a substrate feeder, a print controller, and digital information stored on computer readable media. The digital information includes one or more rows of a first image having a first repeat length side by side with one or more rows of a second image having a second repeat length different from the first repeat length, the first image side by side with the second image comprising a series of composite image groupings. The print controller is configured to access the stored digital information and control the print mechanism to cause the first and second images to be printed on a continuous web of substrate without excess white space between adjacent images or discontinuities caused by the different first and second repeat lengths, by periodically physically shifting the substrate in a reverse direction or by digitally shifting the image groupings before printing them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: ESKO SOFTWARE BVBA
    Inventor: Johan Himpe
  • Patent number: 10315415
    Abstract: A printhead includes a printing element; a first power supply wiring configured to be electrically connected to one terminal of the printing element and supply power to the printing element; a transistor configured to be electrically connected to another terminal of the printing element and drive the printing element; a first ground wiring configured to be electrically connected to a source of the transistor; a second ground wiring configured to be electrically connected to a back gate of the transistor; and a first capacitive element configured to be electrically connected, at one terminal thereof, to the first ground wiring and electrically connected, at another terminal thereof, to the second ground wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kengo Umeda, Ryo Kasai
  • Patent number: 10315438
    Abstract: An example disclosed print head includes memory to store data associated with the print head; and a controller to encrypt a communication including the data stored in the memory, wherein the communication is to be transmitted from the print head to a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Alvin Hunsberger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10315435
    Abstract: A printing apparatus including: a first nozzle group including a first and third nozzles which ejects a first liquid; and a second nozzle group including a second nozzle which ejects a second liquid, in which, when an ejection state of the liquid ejected from the one nozzle which belongs to the first nozzle group is abnormal, complementation is performed using complementation modes of a first complementation mode that increases the amount of a liquid to be ejected from the first nozzle instead of allowing the one nozzle to eject the liquid, a second complementation mode that increases the amount of the liquid to be ejected from the second nozzle instead of allowing the one nozzle to eject the liquid, and a third complementation mode that increases the amount of the liquid to be ejected from the third nozzle instead of allowing the liquid to be ejected from the one nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akito Sato, Yuko Yamamoto, Yuichi Yoneyama
  • Patent number: 10315430
    Abstract: The printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a reading unit configured to read, in a case of detecting a mounting position at which a mounting state of a printing material cartridge has changed from non-mounting to mounting, by performing polling for a plurality of printing material cartridges, color information from the printing material cartridge mounted at the detected mounting position, and a notification unit configured to notify, in a case where the printing material color indicated by the color information is different from the printing material color corresponding to the detected mounting position, a user that the printing material cartridge is mounted incorrectly. The reading unit omits processing to read color information from the printing material cartridge mounted at the detected mounting position in a case where the mounting state of the printing material cartridge mounted at the detected mounting position is maintained as mounting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Sahara
  • Patent number: 10313543
    Abstract: An image scanning apparatus includes a controller configured to acquire image data by scanning a document and a particular range of a document pressing surface, detect black edge positions by detecting, from the image data, black pixels having gradation values less than a white gradation value, determine a sheet type of the document based on the gradation values of the black pixels, detect white edge positions by detecting, from the image data, white pixels having gradation values equal to or more than the white gradation value. The controller is further configured to, when the sheet type is a thin paper, detect, as the white pixels, pixels having gradation values equal to or more than a first threshold, and when the sheet type is a thick paper, detect, as the white pixels, pixels having gradation values equal to or more than a second threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seiya Sato, Shuichi Sunako, Sayaka Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 10308028
    Abstract: A waste ink storage mechanism of the present disclosure includes a waste ink tank, a waste ink tank fitting portion and a capacitance sensor. The waste ink tank stores a waste ink exhausted from a recording head. The waste ink tank is fitted to the waste ink tank fitting portion such that the waste ink tank can be fitted into and removed from the waste ink tank fitting portion. The capacitance sensor is provided in the waste ink tank fitting portion so as to detect that a liquid surface within the waste ink tank reaches a predetermined level. The waste ink tank includes: a first surface in which an inflow port through which the waste ink flows in is formed; and a second surface, and the capacitance sensor is arranged close to the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Daijiro Ueno
  • Patent number: 10307783
    Abstract: A microfluidic cartridge is provided. The microfluidic cartridge is configured to be releasably connectable with a microfluidic delivery device. The microfluidic cartridge has a reservoir configured to contain a fluid composition. The microfluidic cartridge has a first face with a first opening and a second opening. The microfluidic cartridge also includes a second face joined with the first face, a third face joined with the second face and opposing the first face, and a fourth face joined with the third face and the first face and opposing the second face. The fourth face has a connector. The microfluidic cartridge has an electrical circuit with a first end portion disposed on the first face and a second end portion disposed on the second face. The microfluidic cartridge also includes a microfluidic die disposed on the second face. The microfluidic die is in electrical communication with the electrical circuit and in fluid communication with the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Dana Paul Gruenbacher, William Michael Cannon, James Daniel Anderson, Jr., Richard Lee Warner
  • Patent number: 10308019
    Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of enabling a charge control-type inkjet printer to enable real-time control during an operation and to maintain optimal printing conditions while operating. This charge control-type inkjet printer is provided with: a printing head including a nozzle unit for discharging ink; a pressure reduction valve for adjusting the pressure of the ink to be supplied to the nozzle unit of the printing head; and an ink container for accommodating the ink to be supplied to the nozzle unit of the printing head, wherein an imaging unit is further provided which images an image of ink that is discharged from the nozzle unit and is in a particulate state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromichi Takeyama, Masahiko Ogino, Keisuke Nagai, Takashi Sato
  • Patent number: 10308017
    Abstract: In a liquid discharge device that discharges liquid while relatively rotating a medium and a discharge unit that discharges the liquid, a degradation of quality of the discharged liquid material caused by a difference of a relative moving distance between the medium and the discharge unit per unit time when the liquid is discharged is suppressed. The liquid discharge device includes a discharge unit (3) that discharges liquid from nozzles (4) to a medium (M), a rotating mechanism (14) that relatively rotationally moves the medium (M) and the discharge unit (3) around a rotation axis direction Z crossing a discharge direction of the liquid, and a control unit (6) that controls a discharge frequency of the liquid according to a relative moving distance between the medium (M) and the discharge unit (3) per unit time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kunihiko Matsuhashi
  • Patent number: 10308050
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a transport portion that transports a medium, a printing head that performs printing on the medium, a medium detection device that is arranged upstream of the printing head in a transport direction of the medium and detects a side edge of the medium in a width direction intersecting with the transport direction, and a control unit that controls the transport portion, the printing head, and the medium detection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuji Moriyama, Hiroyuki Maeda, Atsushi Nakazawa, Noritsuna Rokuhara
  • Patent number: 10300696
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a case receiving a cartridge, a tank, a head, and a controller to: when the cartridge is installed in the case, calculate an outflow amount Qc based on heights Hc, Hs and flow path resistances; read the amounts Vc, Vs from a memory; subtract the outflow amount Qc from the read liquid amount Vc to calculate new liquid amount Vc; add the outflow amount Qc to the read liquid amount Vs to calculate new liquid amount Vs; store the calculated liquid amounts Vc, Vs in the memory; after a time period from at the time the calculated liquid amounts Vc, Vs stored elapses, again calculate the outflow amount Qc and the liquid amounts Vc, Vs and store the calculated liquid amounts Vc, Vs in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuki Takagi, Mikio Ogawa, Toshiro Ueda
  • Patent number: 10303405
    Abstract: In one example of the disclosure, environmental data indicative of an environmental factor measured at a printer is received via a network. The receipt of the environmental data is via an authorized non-anonymous data flow from the printer. Instructions for a service event to occur at the printer are determined based upon the environmental data. The service event instructions are sent, via the network, to the printer to cause the printer to perform the service event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael Mulloy, William Jon Rittgers, Odhran Hendley, Bryan Murphy, Eduardo Macias
  • Patent number: 10306103
    Abstract: A control method in a printing apparatus includes printing, by a printing unit, an adjustment image for adjusting a printing position on a sheet, conveying, by a conveying unit, the sheet on which the adjustment image is printed, reading, by a reading unit, an image to generate image data, the reading unit being executable to perform reading by a first reading method for reading an image of a sheet without conveying the sheet or a second reading method for reading the image of the sheet while conveying the sheet, and determining, based on that a type of the sheet on which the adjustment image is to be printed is a specific type, to read the adjustment image by the first reading method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuuki Maeda
  • Patent number: 10300689
    Abstract: A web press system including a first printbar, a first sensor, a second printbar, a second sensor, and a controller. The first printbar prints first user content on a first side of a web of media. The first sensor senses a pattern on the web of media and provides first sensor data as the first printbar prints the first user content. A second printbar prints second user content on the first side of the web of media. The second sensor senses the pattern on the web of media and provides second sensor data as the second printbar prints the second user content. The controller determines an amount of expansion of the web of media in a direction perpendicular to a web advanced direction based on the first sensor data and the second sensor data and modifies printing performed by the second printbar based on the amount of expansion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Cesar Fernandez Espasa, Santiago Garcia-Reyero Vinas, Jose Galmes
  • Patent number: 10289355
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a container in which a sheet is contained, an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet, a reading unit configured to read a test image formed on the sheet, and a controller. The image forming apparatus forms the test image on the sheet, reads the test image by the reading unit, and generates, based on a reading result of the reading unit, an image forming condition for correcting a shift between a position of an image to be formed on a first surface of the sheet and a position of an image to be formed on a second surface different from the first surface of the sheet, and determines a timing for the image forming unit to subsequently form the test image based on a time period during which the sheet is contained in the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirotomo Tanaka, Munetaka Sakata
  • Patent number: 10286650
    Abstract: A pixel row in an arrangement direction or an orthogonal direction is divided into processing groups including pixels at every predetermined pixel count in the pixel row. Nondischarge complementary processing is sequentially performed on the divided plurality of processing groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Kitai, Masahiko Umezawa, Yoshiaki Murayama
  • Patent number: 10286693
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a conveyor configured to convey a medium including a transparent base layer and a separation layer stacked on each other, the medium further including a printing background layer; a printer configured to print a character on the medium conveyed by the conveyor, wherein the medium on which the character is printed is a printed medium; and a controller configured to control the conveyor and the printer. The controller is configured to: obtain outside-diameter relating information relating to an outside diameter of a wrapped member; and based on the obtained outside-diameter relating information, set a character printable region in which the printer is allowed to print the character on the printing background layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Minako Ishida, Junya Kawai, Naoto Ito, Shuhei Nohara, Harumitsu Inoue, Yukihiko Sato, Haruki Matsumoto, Kentaro Murayama
  • Patent number: 10275693
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a head in which a first nozzle group, a second nozzle group, and a third nozzle group which have a plurality of nozzles are disposed in a predetermined direction, and that can eject a liquid on a medium, a main scanning unit that scans the head in a main scanning direction, a sub scanning unit that relatively moves between the head and the medium in a sub scanning direction intersecting the main scanning direction; and a control unit. When the liquid is ejected to form a plurality of raster lines on the medium, the control unit maintains fixed values for each total value of a nozzle usage rate of the first nozzle group, total value of a nozzle usage rate of the second nozzle group, and total value of a nozzle usage rate of the third nozzle group, corresponding to the respective raster lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eishin Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 10262752
    Abstract: A method for identifying erroneous data in at least one memory element, particularly a register, that includes at least one flip-flop that is intended to allow reliable detection of soft errors. To this end, writing of data to the at least one memory element involves at least one write security bit being produced from these data and stored in an associated security memory element, wherein at least one output security bit is computed from the data continuously in the same way as for writing and is compared with the corresponding write security bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventor: Adrian Traskov
  • Patent number: 10264667
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a system that is configured to eject fluid vertically away from a thermal microfluidic die for use with scented oils or other fluids. The die is coupled to a rigid planar support board that separates the die from a reservoir of the fluid. The support board includes an opening that is lined with an inert liner that protects an interior surface of the support board from the fluid. The support board includes contact to an external power supply and contacts to the die on a first surface. The die is coupled to this first surface such that the second surface remains free of electrical connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics, Inc., STMicroelectronics S.R.L., STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Simon Dodd, Joe Scheffelin, Dave Hunt, Steve Bush, Faiz Sherman
  • Patent number: 10259230
    Abstract: A printing material container detachably attachable to a printing apparatus having apparatus-side terminals. The container can comprise an electrical device, a memory device and a plurality of terminals. First and second terminals can be coupled to the electrical device and a plurality of memory terminals can be coupled to the memory device. Terminal contact portions are present where the terminals contact a respective apparatus side contact forming member. A short detection contact portion can be positioned to contact a contact forming member that itself is coupled to a short detection circuit of the printing apparatus. The terminals can be arranged with the memory terminal contact portions located to the left of the second terminal contact portion and to the right of the first terminal contact portion. The contact portion that is second farthest to the right can be the third contact portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Noboru Asauchi
  • Patent number: 10252435
    Abstract: A cutting apparatus includes a storing unit configured to store data of a pattern having plural parts of different colors or designs; a display unit; and a control device. The control device is configured to: acquire data of a color or a design of at least one workpiece; change a color or a design of at least one part of a pattern in the data stored in the storing unit to the color or the design acquired for the at least one workpiece; and display the pattern having the at least one part in which the color or the design has been changed on the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakamura, Manami Ota, Kentaro Sugiyama, Hideaki Nagasaka
  • Patent number: 10252518
    Abstract: A correction data setting apparatus, which sets correction data in a memory for storing the correction data for correcting a pulse width of a drive pulse signal applied to each actuator corresponding to each nozzle of an inkjet head, comprises a generation section which sequentially generates a channel No. for individually identifying each nozzle; an output section which outputs a parameter required for arithmetic which represents a characteristic of a correction amount with respect to an arrangement direction of the nozzles; an arithmetic section which executes the arithmetic using the parameter output from the output section to calculate the correction amount for each channel No. generated from the generation section; a conversion section converts the correction amount calculated for each channel No. by the arithmetic section to the correction data; and a setting section sets the correction data obtained for each channel No. by the conversion section in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 10256126
    Abstract: Disclosed are process control systems and methods incorporating a crystal microbalance (CM) (e.g., a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)) into gas flow line(s) entering and/or exiting a processing chamber. A CM measures the resonance of a quartz crystal sensor contained therein as gas flows over that crystal sensor and can, thereby be used to accurately monitor, in real time, the mass flow rate of the gas. The mass flow rate may indicate that gas contamination has occurred and, in response, a controller can cause the gas flow to stop. Additionally, the mass flow rate may indicate the desired result will not be achieved within the processing chamber and, in response, advanced process control (APC) can be performed (e.g., the controller can adjust the gas flow). CM(s) incorporated into gas flow lines entering and/or exiting a processing chamber can provide precise measurements for process monitoring at minimal cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES INC.
    Inventors: Robert B. Finlay, Brian Conerney
  • Patent number: 10252539
    Abstract: In a fluid ejection apparatus, fluid flows from a tank, through a fluid inlet, to a fluid supply passage which extends to nozzles. A driver is configured to apply energy to fluid in the fluid supply passage to eject fluid from the nozzles. A purge unit is configured to purge fluid from the nozzles to execute first purging. A controller is configured to receive, from a user input unit, a refill completion signal indicating that the tank is refilled with fluid, obtain an amount of fluid consumed since receipt of the refill completion signal by counting an amount of fluid discharged from the nozzles, and determine an amount of fluid to be purged by the first purging by subtracting the amount of fluid consumed from a total capacity of the fluid supply passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoichiro Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10232638
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are related to a coating system and a method for coating a surface of a product. The system may include a coating unit, comprising; a droplet deposition assembly configured to deposit droplets of a coating material from a plurality of nozzles according to a predetermined deposition pattern, to form a coating on the surface. The system may further include a curing unit for curing at least one polymeric component included in the coating material and a control unit configured to receive the predetermined deposition pattern and control the coating unit to deposit the predetermined deposition pattern on the surface, such that the coating has a thickness deviation of less than 1 micron per 1 meter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: PALRAM INDUSTRIES (1990) LTD
    Inventor: Reuven Hugi
  • Patent number: 10232653
    Abstract: An ink jet type printer includes a liquid discharge head that prints on a sheet, a container that houses ink, and a mounting portion which has an insertion opening and to which the container inserted through the insertion opening is detachably mounted. The mounting portion includes a mounting portion-side rib that, when the container is to be inserted through the insertion opening, guides the container to the insertion opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Mikinori Sawai, Susumu Taga
  • Patent number: 10226941
    Abstract: A method to calibrate a printer, in which printing of a plurality of uniform area fills using a variety of combinations of at least first and second types of correction is controlled, both the first and second type of correction being varied in the variety of combinations; and in which measurement of optical density uniformity of the plurality of uniform area fills is controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Copmany, L.P.
    Inventors: Jose Luis Valero Navazo, Alejandro Manuel De Pena, Marcos Casaldaliga Albisu
  • Patent number: 10224469
    Abstract: A light emitting device (10) includes light emitting elements (12), conductor wirings (14), and alignment marks (18) formed on a substrate (11). The alignment marks (18) and the conductor wirings (14) are formed by printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio Hata, Makoto Agatani, Shinya Ishizaki, Makoto Matsuda, Tomokazu Nada, Toyonori Uemura
  • Patent number: 10214025
    Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus including a controller configured to execute: causing a printing execution unit to execute printing of a first test image and a second test image; acquiring first scan image data; acquiring second scan image data; identifying a first boundary; identifying a first number of pixels and a second number of pixels; calculating a first number of unit pixels and a second number of unit pixels; calculating a relevant value related to density of a dot formed by each nozzle; and generating characteristics data which indicates ink jetting characteristics of N pieces of nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaya Takasu
  • Patent number: 10207497
    Abstract: Selecting nozzles can include selecting nozzles of a plurality of nozzles to print a portion of a print job based on content of the print job and assigning firing reservations to the selected nozzles, where a total number of the firing reservations assigned to the selected nozzles is comparatively less than a total number of the plurality of nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael W. Cumbie, Garrett E. Clark, Mark H. MacKenzie
  • Patent number: 10209123
    Abstract: An acoustic module is coupled to an acoustic passage. The acoustic module includes an acoustic transducer coupled to a diaphragm. A controller or other circuitry measures an impedance of the acoustic transducer. Based on the impedance, the controller determines whether the impedance indicates that the acoustic passage is blocked. The controller may determine that the acoustic passage is blocked by liquid that is present in the acoustic passage. When the controller determines based on the impedance that liquid is present in the acoustic passage, the controller may drive out, purge, and/or otherwise remove the liquid, such as by using the acoustic transducer to vibrate the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nikolas T. Vitt, Ruchir M Dave, Jesse A. Lippert, Brad G. Boozer, Neal D. Evans, David S. Wilkes, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10207499
    Abstract: Examples associated with drop velocity aberrancy detection are disclosed. One example includes firing ink through nozzles of a print-head past sensors to identify drop velocities of the nozzles. A target drop velocity is selected based on the drop velocities of the nozzles. An aberrant nozzles is detected when a nozzle has a drop velocity that deviates from the target drop velocity by a selected threshold. The aberrant nozzle is deactivated, and a good nozzle that will travel over locations traversed by the aberrant nozzle is configured to print portions of a job that would have been printed by the aberrant nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Mauricio Seras Franzoso, Antonio Gracia Verdugo, Marta Coma Vives
  • Patent number: 10208158
    Abstract: Described is a super elastic epoxy hydrogel that is easy to manufacture and can be engineered for various performance enhancements of the polymer. Also described are methods of enhancing the performance of this hydrogel and other hydrogels. Various polymer hydrogel composites, structures, and their uses are included, such as the actuator element comprising the hydrogel of the invention depicted in FIG. 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignees: MEDIPACS, INC., THE ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
    Inventors: Mark Banister, Dominic McGrath
  • Patent number: 10201854
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are directed to applying magnetohydrodynamic forces to liquid metal to eject liquid metal along a controlled pattern, such as a controlled three-dimensional pattern as part of additive manufacturing of an object. The magnetohydrodynamic force can be pulsed to eject droplets of the liquid metal to provide control over accuracy of the object being fabricated. The pulsations can be applied in fluid chambers having high resonance frequencies such that droplet ejection can be effectively controlled over a wide range of frequencies, including high frequencies suitable for liquid metal ejection at rates suitable for commercially viable three-dimensional fabrication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Desktop Metal, Inc.
    Inventors: Emanuel Michael Sachs, Mark Gardner Gibson, Paul A. Hoisington, Richard Remo Fontana
  • Patent number: 10201981
    Abstract: An example method for determining an amount of a translucent printing fluid in accordance with the present disclosure is provided. The example method comprises printing a plurality of test patterns with different proportions of colored and translucent printing fluids. The plurality of test patterns comprise a first area and a second area contiguous with the first area, wherein a color of the second area is different from a color of the first area. Migration characteristics of the plurality of test patterns are analyzed to determine an amount of translucent printing fluid to use for a successive printing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Antonio Gracia Verdugo, David Toussaint, Oriol Borrell Avila
  • Patent number: 10198663
    Abstract: A system for predicting occurrence of a defective image includes: an input device configured to input image data into an image forming apparatus; and a hardware processor configured to analyze a spatial frequency of gradient distribution of an image in accordance with a size of a density irregularity specific to the image forming apparatus with respect to the input image data and to calculate a probability of a conspicuous density irregularity of the size in regard to the image formed by the image forming apparatus based on the image data with reference to an index of correlation between an analysis result and an evaluation value of the density irregularity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Natsuko Kawai, Takashi Akazawa, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Ryoei Ikari, Kei Okamura, Keiji Uchikawa
  • Patent number: 10195875
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a transport unit which transports a recording medium in a transport direction; a printing unit which prints an image and a mark on the recording medium; and a mark detecting unit which is located on an upstream side of the printing unit in the transport direction, and detects a mark, includes a function of automatically adjusting a detecting sensitivity of the mark detecting unit, and obtains a printing start position using the mark, in which the mark detecting unit has a timer function including an ON delay in which a time between detecting of a mark and outputting of a detecting signal of ON is delayed, uses the timer function when obtaining the printing start position, and does not use the timer function when performing the automatic adjusting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Hori, Masashi Kitahara, Shinji Kawakami, Atsushi Imamura
  • Patent number: 10189248
    Abstract: A print head assembly (PHA) includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) die mounted to a substrate with an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The die includes an opening defined in the die, a plurality of nozzles adjacent to the opening in fluid communication with the opening, and a pad to receive electrical control signals. The ASIC includes a communication link and a plurality of transmission lines that transmit electrical signals to the MEMS die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Peter James Fricke, Andrew L. Van Brocklin
  • Patent number: 10185900
    Abstract: A method in a page-wide array printing apparatus comprising at least first and second printing dies that overlap in a page width direction comprises the steps of calibrating the printing apparatus in a media advance direction to a higher resolution than the page width direction, the media advance direction being perpendicular to the page width direction, and using printing masks to control the operation of a plurality of nozzles in an overlap area between the first and second printing dies to reduce any visible defects caused by dot placement errors in the page width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Marcos Casaldaliga Albisu, M. Isabel Borell Bayona, Leticia Rubio
  • Patent number: 10173447
    Abstract: A printer having a carriage (10) movable along a guide beam (12) in a main scanning direction (y), and a number of print heads (14) mounted on the carriage (10), each print head having a plurality of printing elements (16), wherein the carriage (10) has at least two sub-carriages (38) each of which carries at least one of the print heads (14) and is independently guided at the guide beam (12), and the sub-carriages (38) are coupled for joint movement in the main scanning direction (y) but are movable relative to one another in a sub-scanning direction (x) normal to the main scanning direction (y).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: OCÉ HOLDING B.V.
    Inventor: Wensheng Zhai
  • Patent number: 10168633
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller capable of executing a normal mode in which an electrostatic image formed on an image bearing member is developed by setting a peripheral velocity ratio of a developer bearing member relative to the image bearing member to a prescribed peripheral velocity ratio, and a color gamut enlargement mode in which a color gamut of an image to be formed on a recording medium is enlarged as compared to the normal mode by setting the peripheral velocity ratio of the developer bearing member relative to the image bearing member to a larger peripheral velocity ratio than the peripheral velocity ratio in the normal mode, wherein the controller identifies image color gamut information included in image data and forms an image by selecting the normal mode or the color gamut enlargement mode in accordance with the image color gamut information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hisashi Nakahara, Akihiko Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 10160198
    Abstract: A printer includes a page wide array of printing elements extending in a first orientation and co-located with a media path extending in a second orientation generally perpendicular to the first orientation. The printer is selectively operable according to a calibration involving current calibration values for a first subset of the page wide array of printing elements and a substitute calibration value for at least one non-first subset printing element of the page wide array immediately adjacent to at least one of the first subset printing elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Marcos Casaldaliga Albisu, Marti Rius Rossell
  • Patent number: 10163045
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus to which a removable device can be set is provided. The removable device includes a first memory to store first status information indicating a status of the removable device, first identification information identifying the removable device, and second identification information identifying the electronic apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kengo Tanaka, Kazushi Takei, Norio Muraishi, Sumihiro Inokuchi, Masashi Hommi, Atsushi Kuramoto, Takuya Kemmochi, Yoichi Kitahara
  • Patent number: 10160199
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharging apparatus including: a discharging portion which discharges liquid; a fixing portion which fixes the discharging portion; a circuit substrate for controlling discharge of the liquid; a head cover which covers the circuit substrate; and a covering portion which connects the fixing portion and the head cover to each other, and covers a part between the fixing portion and the head cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kyohei Date