With Additional Fluid Patents (Class 347/21)
  • Patent number: 9254681
    Abstract: A textile-printing apparatus includes a pre-treatment agent-applying section that applies a pre-treatment agent to a textile-printing medium, a press section that compresses, while heating the textile-printing medium, the textile-printing medium to which the pre-treatment agent has been applied, a printing liquid discharge section that discharges a printing liquid to the textile-printing medium that has been compressed while being heated by the press section, and a heater that heats the textile-printing medium to which the printing liquid has been discharged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 9248646
    Abstract: A printhead having a drop generator for creating print and non-print drops and a drop deflector for causing the trajectories of the print drops and the non-print drops to diverge includes a liquid extraction channel for removing liquid from the gas flow duct; the liquid extraction channel having an entrance which opens off from the gas flow duct; an outlet; a catcher for collecting the non-print drops wherein the catcher has an ink return channel; at least one via connecting the ink return channel to the liquid extraction channel; and wherein a portion of the liquid passing through the ink return channel of the catcher flows through the at least one via into the liquid extraction channel and from the liquid extraction channel out the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Kevin P. Egan, Seth C. Clark, William H. Sommerville, III, Robert J. Simon, Douglas E. Schultz
  • Patent number: 9249506
    Abstract: A first device is provided. The first device includes a print head, and a first gas source hermetically sealed to the print head. The print head further includes a first layer further comprising a plurality of apertures, each aperture having a smallest dimension of 0.5 to 500 microns. A second layer is bonded to the first layer. The second layer includes a first via in fluid communication with the first gas source and at least one of the apertures. The second layer is made of an insulating material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Stephen Forrest, Gregory McGraw
  • Patent number: 9229362
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an image forming apparatus has a first image forming section, a second image forming section and an image forming agent adhesion amount control section. The first image forming section forms an image with decolorable image forming agent. The second image forming section forms an image with non-decolorable image forming agent. The image forming agent adhesion amount control section carries out a control to make the amount of the non-decolorable image forming agent adhered to a sheet smaller than that of the decolorable image forming agent adhered to the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9222882
    Abstract: A measurement apparatus comprises a light source of line shape configured to move in a predetermined direction and illuminate a measurement target object, and a capturing unit configured to capture the measurement target object illuminated by the light source of line shape. The measurement apparatus controls the light source of line shape and the capturing unit, and estimates the reflection characteristics of the measurement target object from a plurality of images captured by the capturing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun Hirabayashi, Takamasa Seto
  • Patent number: 9193152
    Abstract: A printing system includes a printer head with an airflow management system. The airflow management system includes an air splitter on the leading edge of the printer head and side members that extend the length of the printer head. The air splitter and members are positioned so that a gap is formed between the printer head and the air splitter and members. A vacuum fan positioned within a duct on top of the printer head can draw air through the gap at the leading edge of the printer head and return the air on the trailing side of the printer head. The airflow management system can permit increased printing distances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Todd W. Miller
  • Patent number: 9180677
    Abstract: Hard imaging devices and hard imaging device operational methods are described. According to one arrangement, a hard imaging device includes a pen adjacent to a first location of a media path and configured to eject a plurality of droplets of a liquid marking agent in a direction towards the media moving along the media path to form hard images using the media, the ejection of the droplets of the liquid marking agent from the pen creating aerosol droplets of the liquid marking agent, and a gas injection system adjacent to a second location of the media path which is downstream from the first location with respect to a direction of movement of the media along the media path, and wherein the gas injection system is configured to inject a gas towards the media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Napoleon J. Leoni, Omer Gila, Michael H. Lee
  • Patent number: 9174452
    Abstract: A print unit prints by ejecting fluid droplets from a plurality of nozzles while moving in a primary scanning direction relative to a print medium. An ejection inspection unit inspects fluid droplet ejection by a group of target nozzles, which are part of an ejection nozzle subset obtained by dividing the nozzles according to the number of nozzles required to form the smallest printing width in the secondary scanning direction. A control unit controls the print unit and the ejection inspection unit, and selects the group of target nozzles in the ejection nozzle subset and performs the ejection inspection each time a specific amount of printing is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yosuke Hatao
  • Patent number: 9163160
    Abstract: Aqueous ink for inkjet contains water; a hydrosoluble organic solvent; a pigment; and a resin, wherein the hydrosoluble organic solvent contains 2,3-butane diol having meso-2,3-butane diol in an amount of 50% by weight or more in 2,3-butane diol and 2,3-butane diol accounts for 5% by weight to 40% by weight of the entire of the aqueous ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Naohiro Toda, Tomohiro Nakagawa, Hidefumi Nagashima, Juichi Furukawa, Ichiroh Fujii, Kiyofumi Nagai
  • Patent number: 9144988
    Abstract: An inkjet printer is provided with a printer front located on a front face of the inkjet printer and having a paper exit formed therethrough, a roll paper replacement opening formed in the printer front below the paper exit, an ink cartridge replacement opening formed in the printer front on a first side of the roll paper replacement opening and a waste ink tank replacement opening formed in the printer front on a second side of the roll paper replacement opening on the transverse axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichi Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: 9137901
    Abstract: The present subject matter relates to a method and system for pulsed air-actuated micro-droplet on demand jetting, especially for jetting high viscosity liquids. A needle extends from a liquid chamber and terminates in a drop-forming orifice outlet from which micro-droplets are generated. At least two air jets direct a timed pulse of air at the drop-forming orifice outlet of the needle. The pulsed air is synchronized with the formation of a desired volume of liquid at the orifice outlet to extract and propel a micro-droplet at high velocity to a substrate. The air jets are turned on prior to the forming of the desired volume at the orifice outlet of the needle, and turned off after the micro-droplet had been produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Kui-Chiu Kwok
  • Patent number: 9133359
    Abstract: A maintenance liquid for inkjet recording, including: a compound represented by the following Formula (I) and having an HLB value of from 10.5 to 13.8, a water-soluble organic solvent represented by the following Formula (II), a moisturizing agent, and water is disclosed. In the formulae, R1 represents a straight chain or branched alkyl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, a straight chain or branched alkenyl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or an aryl group; m represents an integer from 3 to 14, each of R3 and R5 independently represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, provided that R3 and R5 never represent a hydrogen atom at the same time; R4 represents an ethylene group or a propylene group; and x represents an integer from 1 to 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Akimitsu Haijima
  • Patent number: 9122961
    Abstract: A mask generating unit generates a show-through area mask in accordance with inverted front printed image data, obtained by inverting front printed image data in a horizontal direction, and back printed image data. Then, a determining unit inspects a show-through area of the back inspecting image data corresponding to the show-through area mask with a show-through inspection threshold. Consequently, an area where the show-through exists with high possibility is inspected with the looser show-through inspection threshold. This achieves suppression of determination error due to the show-through. On the other hand, an area where no show-through exists with high possibility is inspected with a tight normal inspection threshold. This achieves accurate determination of printing error. As a result, accurate printing inspection is obtainable even to web paper with the show-through.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomotaka Kato, Atsushi Imamura, Shiro Koike, Toshiriro Sato
  • Patent number: 9108400
    Abstract: A method for printing an image on a substrate, the method including providing a plurality of rollers for moving a substrate on which the images are printed; depositing a plurality of different colored inks on a print side of the substrate which forms the image; depositing a clear liquid on the print side of the substrate in a linear, spaced apart pattern adjacent an edge of the image for forming clear liquid ribs; wherein the clear liquid ribs extend away from the image, and the clear liquid is devoid in at least at a plurality of portions between the clear liquid ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: David James Cornell, Christopher M. Muir
  • Patent number: 9085158
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharging apparatus which includes: a discharge head that includes a nozzle forming surface on which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed; a wiping member that performs wiping by relatively moving on the nozzle forming surface in a state in which a wiping surface abuts on the nozzle forming surface; a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies cleaning liquid to a liquid supplied surface which is a different surface from the nozzle forming surface and with which the wiping surface can come into contact; and a control unit that causes the wiping surface to abut on the liquid supplied surface to which the cleaning liquid is supplied, and then causes the wiping surface to relatively move on the nozzle forming surface in a state in which the wiping surface abuts on the nozzle forming surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kobayashi, Toshio Kumagai, Katsuyoshi Onodera, Kazutoshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9068090
    Abstract: An image forming method including adhering a pretreatment liquid to a surface of a recording medium bearing a coat layer thereon; adhering an ink including a colorant, an organic solvent, a surfactant and water to the surface of the recording medium to form an image of the ink; and adhering an aftertreatment liquid to the image-bearing surface of the recording medium to form a protective layer on at least the image on the recording medium. The organic solvent of the ink includes a polyalcohol having an equilibrium moisture content of not less than 30% by weight at 23° C. and 80% RH; a ?-alkoxy-N,N-dimethylpropionamide compound, and at least one compound selected from 1,3-dioxane-4-methanol compounds, oxetane compounds, and sebacic acid dialkylester compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Gotou, Hidetoshi Fujii
  • Patent number: 9050819
    Abstract: When recording is performed using two different types of inks, the ink discharge order is controlled in a unit region on a recording medium so that the number of pixel regions in which an ink having a relatively high pH buffer capacity in a basic region is applied later is larger than the number of pixel regions in which an ink having a relatively low pH buffer capacity in a basic region is applied later.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Rie Takekoshi, Takumi Kaneko, Ayumi Hirakawa, Keita Ishimi, Noboru Kunimine, Yumi Kamimura
  • Publication number: 20150145921
    Abstract: The invention includes an aggregating agent coating section configured and arranged to apply an aggregating agent in a form of a powder to a recording medium and an ink discharge section configured and arranged to discharge an ink that is aggregated by the aggregating agent onto the recording medium to which the aggregating agent is applied. According to this configuration, applying the aggregating agent in the form of a powder the recording medium makes it possible to apply the aggregating agent to the recording medium without having to apply a treatment liquid that contains the aggregating agent to the recording medium. As such, the need for a step for drying a recording medium, which has been performed in instances where a treatment liquid was applied to the recording medium, is obviated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventor: Yuichi WASHIO
  • Patent number: 9039132
    Abstract: A printing apparatus which prints an image on a transparent medium using a head which discharges ink droplets from nozzles. Two pieces of image data are prepared, one piece of image data is selected from the two pieces of image data to set the selected image data to one of a first image and a second image, and the other piece of image data is set to the other of the first image and the second image. The image data set to the first image is subjected to a processing to be mirror image data. The head prints the mirror image of the first image on the medium, prints a background image on the mirror image of the first image, and prints a real image of the second image on the background image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidenori Usuda, Shinichi Kamoshida, Mitsuaki Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 9016829
    Abstract: Disclosed is an ink composition including: (1) a pigment; (2) a polymerization initiator having a content of 2% by mass or more with respect to a total amount of the composition and having a solubility with respect to pure water at 25° C. of 5 to 8 g/l; (3) a compound A that is at least one selected from the group consisting of dimethylacrylamide, diethylacrylamide, N-isopropylacrylamide, dimethylacetamide, N-ethylpyrrolidone, 1-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, tetramethylurea and gamma-valerolactone; (4) a polymerizable compound having two or more ethylenically unsaturated double bonds; and (5) water having a content of 50% by mass or more with respect to the total amount of the composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Kaeriyama, Toshihiro Kamada, Kiyoshi Irita
  • Publication number: 20150103116
    Abstract: An image forming method, which includes: ejecting an inkjet ink containing a colorant, a water-soluble organic solvent, a surfactant, and water onto a surface of a recording medium at a side where a coating layer is provided, to thereby form an image, in which the recording medium contains a support, and the coating layer provided at least one surface of the support; and heating the image to a temperature of 100° C. to 150° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Inventor: Hiroshi GOTOU
  • Patent number: 9004671
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a conveyor to convey a recording medium in a conveyance direction; first and second applicators to respectively apply first and second liquids to the recording medium, the second applicator being disposed downstream of the first applicator. One of the first and second liquids causes coagulation or precipitation of a component of the other liquid. The conveyor comprises a first pair of rollers; a second pair of rollers; and at least one third pair of rollers. The second applicator is disposed between the first and second pair of rollers. The first pair of rollers and the at least one third pair of rollers constitute a plurality of upstream-side pairs of rollers disposed upstream of the second pair of rollers, and a distance between adjacent two of the upstream-side pairs of rollers is larger than a distance between the first and second pair of rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuji Sakano
  • Publication number: 20150091973
    Abstract: An ink for inkjet recording is provided, the ink including water, a coated carbon black that includes a carbon black pigment having a TEA adsorption capacity of 0.5 meq/g or more and a resin that coats the carbon black, resin particles, and a water-soluble organic solvent having an SP value of less than 28 at a content of 2% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of the ink for inkjet recording, wherein a product of a glass transition temperature of the resin particles and the TEA adsorption capacity of the carbon black pigment is 40° C.·meq/g or more. An ink set, an image forming method, and a maintenance method are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Masao IKOSHI, Masaharu KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20150091975
    Abstract: Substrate treatment apparatus, printers, and methods to treat a print substrate are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a first roller having a rigid surface to receive a treatment fluid from a reservoir, a blade to apply a first pressure to the first roller to adjust an amount of the treatment fluid present on the first roller, and a second roller having a non-rigid surface to apply a second pressure to the first roller, to receive an adjusted amount of the treatment fluid from the first roller and to apply the treatment fluid to a substrate, the first pressure and the second pressure being selected such that the second roller applies the treatment fluid to the substrate in an amount resulting in a layer of treatment fluid less than about 0.4 micrometers thick on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Omer GILA, Daihua ZHANG, Tom ANTHONY, Hou T. NG
  • Publication number: 20150091974
    Abstract: A recording method includes first coating a treatment liquid A to a recording medium, a second coating a treatment liquid B to the recording medium after the first coating, and a discharging an ink composition including a coloring material to the recording medium by discharging from a nozzle after the second coating, and the treatment liquid A adjusts wettability of the treatment liquid B to the recording medium and includes at least any one of a resin and inorganic oxide fine particles, and the treatment liquid B thickens or insolubilizes the ink composition and includes at least any one of a polyvalent metal salt, an organic acid, and an organic acid salt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Tetsuya AOYAMA, Akiko KAWASE
  • Publication number: 20150085010
    Abstract: An inkjet recording device includes a recording medium conveyance mechanism, a head portion, and a liquid applying section. The recording medium conveyance mechanism is configured to convey a recording medium. The head portion is configured to eject ink onto the recording medium. The liquid applying section is configured to apply liquid to the recording medium. The recording medium may have a first surface and a second surface. The head portion may eject the ink onto the first surface of the recording medium. The liquid applying section may apply the liquid to the second surface of the recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Takatoshi NISHIMURA
  • Patent number: 8985735
    Abstract: The present disclosure is related to deposition of print treatments. In an example, treatment is to be deposited on substrate dot locations to receive ink according to selected treatment-to-ink regimes. The selected treatment-to-ink regimes include a variable treatment-to-ink regime and a constant treatment-to-ink regime. The variable treatment-to-ink regime is for depositing a variable amount of treatment dependent on the amount of ink to be deposited in a substrate dot location when the ink amount in the substrate dot location is below a threshold. The constant treatment-to-ink regime is for depositing a selected constant amount of treatment in a substrate dot location and an area surrounding the substrate dot location when the ink amount in the substrate dot location is above the threshold. Other examples are illustrated herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jaime Fernandez del Rio, Eduardo Amela Conesa, Jacint Humet Pous, Marc Serra Vall
  • Publication number: 20150077465
    Abstract: A maintenance liquid for inkjet recording, including: a compound represented by the following Formula (I) and having an HLB value of from 10.5 to 13.8, a water-soluble organic solvent represented by the following Formula (II), a moisturizing agent, and water is disclosed. In the formulae, R1 represents a straight chain or branched alkyl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, a straight chain or branched alkenyl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or an aryl group; m represents an integer from 3 to 14, each of R3 and R5 independently represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, provided that R3 and R5 never represent a hydrogen atom at the same time; R4 represents an ethylene group or a propylene group; and x represents an integer from 1 to 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventor: Akimitsu HAIJIMA
  • Publication number: 20150062238
    Abstract: A black ink composition includes: carbon black and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the carbon black; a cyan pigment and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the cyan pigment; a magenta pigment and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the magenta pigment; water-insoluble resin particle; and water, wherein a content ratio of the carbon black is from 1.0 to 2.0% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition, and a total amount of pigments is from 1.8 to 3.5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition. The black ink composition can be used in an ink set and an image forming method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaoru TOJO, Ryo SAITO, Katsuto SUMI
  • Publication number: 20150062237
    Abstract: A printer or the like is provided that can perform wettability enhancement treatment as necessary. The printer includes a discharge unit 8 that discharges UV ink on a printing surface Sa of a print medium S, a corona treater 18 that, before discharging of the UV ink by the discharge unit 8, is set to a treating state that performs corona treatment that enhances wettability in relation to the UV ink, or a non-treating state that does not perform the corona treatment, a wettability information acquisition unit that acquires wettability information related to the wettability of the printing surface Sa for which corona treatment has not been performed, and a control unit that sets the corona treater 18 to the treating state when the acquired wettability information is designated information related to low wettability, and that sets the corona treater 18 to the non-treating state when the acquired wettability information is not the designated information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Takamitsu KONDO, Toru TAKAHASHI, Hiroshi WADA, Kazuyoshi TANASE
  • Patent number: 8967781
    Abstract: An image recording composition including a curable material that is cured upon application of an external stimulus, water-absorbing resin particles, and a nonionic surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kentaro Ageishi, Yoshiro Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20150056423
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus discharging liquid droplets onto a recording medium to form an image on a surface of the recording medium, includes a preprocess unit configured to apply a preprocess liquid to the surface of the recording medium before the image is formed; and a postprocess unit configured to discharge a postprocess liquid onto the surface of the recording medium after the image has been formed, the postprocess liquid being different from the preprocess liquid. The preprocess unit applies the preprocess liquid with an amount of the preprocess liquid determined based on at least image forming speed of the image to be formed on the recording medium. The postprocess unit discharges the postprocess liquid with an amount of the postprocess liquid determined based on at least the image forming speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuki Yasu, Yoshinari Suzuki, Yukihito Niino
  • Publication number: 20150054885
    Abstract: An ink jet textile printing method includes applying a pretreatment liquid that contains a coagulant to a fabric, discharging a first ink composition from a first recording head to apply the first ink composition to the fabric, and discharging a second ink composition from a second recording head to apply the second ink composition to the fabric. The first ink composition contains water, pigment, and a cohesive resin. The second ink composition contains water, pigment, and a non-cohesive resin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventor: Takako SUGIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20150035899
    Abstract: An image recording method includes applying an ink containing a pigment in a dispersion 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 ink further contains polymer particles, and 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). In the ink, the content of the polymer particles is 3% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less relative to the total mass of the ink, and the mass ratio of the polymer particles to the surfactant is 1 or more and 10 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventors: Takashi Imai, Mamiko Kaji
  • Patent number: 8944556
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including a head configured to discharge an aqueous recording liquid onto a recording medium; and a coating unit configured to apply a process liquid onto the recording medium, wherein the process liquid is formed by emulsifying, by a first surfactant, water including a water-soluble polymer and a low polarity solvent which is not compatible with the water, wherein the water and the low polarity solvent are emulsified as a W/O emulsion in which the water is in a dispersed phase and the low polarity solvent is in a continuous phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Hihara, Yuuma Usui, Takeo Tsukamoto, Manabu Seo, Takahiko Matsumoto, Hiroyuki Yamashita, Hideomi Sakuma, Aino Hasegawa, Ryota Suzuki, Hisayoshi Ohshima, Shigeo Takeuchi, Mizuki Otagiri
  • Publication number: 20150029259
    Abstract: Methods performed by printing systems (10) are described herein. An ink printhead (38, 40, 42, 44) and a treatment printhead (46, 48) traverse over a print area (84) in a forward direction (50) and a backward direction (52). In one of the forward direction or the backward direction the treatment printhead trails behind the ink printhead. In the other direction the treatment printhead leads before the ink printhead. The treatment printhead ejects treatment fluid for treating the print area depending on the traversing direction. Printing systems (10) and tangible machine readable storage media (64) are also described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Jacint Humet, Marc Vall Serra, Jaime Fernandez, Eduardo Amela
  • Patent number: 8939551
    Abstract: A liquid dispensing system includes a liquid dispenser array structure that includes a functional liquid transfer region located between a liquid dispensing channel and a liquid return channel. A first liquid supply provides a carrier liquid that flows continuously through the dispensing channel, functional liquid transfer region, and return channel during a drop dispensing operation. Liquid dispensers, located on a common substrate, include a second liquid supply that provides a functional liquid, immiscible in the carrier liquid, to the dispensing channel. A drop formation device, associated with an interface of the supply channel and the dispensing channel, is selectively actuated to form discrete functional liquid drops in the flowing carrier liquid. A receiver conveyance mechanism and the functional liquid transfer region are positioned relative to each other such that functional liquid drops are applied to a receiver while the carrier liquid flows through the functional liquid transfer region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Hrishikesh V. Panchawagh, Thomas W. Palone
  • Patent number: 8939538
    Abstract: An apparatus for printing and activating an adhesive upon labels with fluid activatable adhesive having a print head and a path along which a label travels to the print head for printing on a front surface of the label. The path after printing reverses the orientation of the label to present the back surface of the label to the print head for applying a fluid for activating a layer of adhesive material on back surface of the label prior to the label exiting the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: NuLabel Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Benjamin D. Lux
  • Publication number: 20150022582
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming method, including: applying a treatment liquid to a recording medium; and applying a recording ink to the recording medium. The treatment liquid is free from a colorant, and contains an organic acid salt or a cationic resin or both thereof, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water. The water-soluble organic solvent contains one or more selected from sodium poly-?-glutamate, N-acyl fatty acid-sodium L-glutamate, sodium N-lauroyl-L-aspartate, and a compound represented by General Formula 1 below. The recording ink contains a colorant, a water-soluble organic solvent, a surfactant, a carboxyl group-containing resin, and water. where in General Formula 1 above, Ac represents an acetyl group, and R1 and R2 each represent a fatty acid residue having 8 to 14 carbon atoms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Koji Katsuragi
  • Publication number: 20150022583
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming method, including applying a treatment liquid to a recording medium, and applying a recording ink to the recording medium, wherein the treatment liquid is free from a colorant, and contains a cationic resin, a water-soluble organic solvent, and water, the cationic resin is a cationic resin of which cationic degree lowers along with increase of pH, and the recording ink contains at least a colorant, a water-soluble organic solvent, a surfactant, a carboxyl group-containing resin, and water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Koji Katsuragi
  • Patent number: 8936353
    Abstract: A liquid dispenser array structure includes a liquid dispensing channel. A first liquid supply provides a carrier liquid that flows continuously through an outlet of the liquid dispensing channel during a drop dispensing operation. A plurality of liquid dispensers, located on a common substrate, includes a liquid supply channel and a second liquid supply that provides a functional liquid, immiscible in the carrier liquid, to the liquid dispensing channel through the liquid supply channel. A drop formation device, associated with an interface of the liquid supply channel and the liquid dispensing channel, is selectively actuated to form a discrete drop of the functional liquid in the carrier liquid flowing through the liquid dispensing channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Hrishikesh V. Panchawagh, Thomas W. Palone, Jeremy M. Grace, Michael A. Marcus, Carolyn R. Ellinger, Kathleen M. Vaeth
  • Patent number: 8936354
    Abstract: A liquid dispensing system includes a liquid dispenser array structure. A first liquid supply provides a carrier liquid that flows continuously through an outlet of a liquid dispensing channel during a drop dispensing operation. A plurality of liquid dispensers, located on a common substrate, includes a second liquid supply that provides a functional liquid, immiscible in the carrier liquid, to the liquid dispensing channel through a liquid supply channel. A drop formation device, associated with an interface of the liquid supply channel and the liquid dispensing channel, is selectively actuated to form discrete drops of the functional liquid in the carrier liquid flowing through the liquid dispensing channel. A receiver conveyance mechanism and the liquid dispenser array structure are positioned relative to each other such that the discrete drops of the functional liquid are applied to a receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Hrishikesh V. Panchawagh, Thomas W. Palone, Jeremy M. Grace, Michael A. Marcus, Carolyn R. Ellinger, Kathleen M. Vaeth
  • Publication number: 20150015639
    Abstract: An inkjet ink set including: an ink composition including water, a colorant, polymer particles having a glass transition temperature of 90° C. or higher, an organic amine and an inorganic salt; and a treatment liquid that includes an acidic compound and generates aggregation when comes into contact with the ink composition. The inkjet ink set and an image forming method using the same provide preservation stability and secured excellent jetting ability of the ink composition, and an image having image quality with suppressed formation of satellite droplets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Orie ITO, Yasufumi OOISHI, Shinichi TERAMAE
  • Patent number: 8931881
    Abstract: A inkjet printer treatment agent liquid application apparatus includes a supplying pan storing treatment agent liquid; a squeeze roller, partially immersed in the liquid stored in the supplying pan, drawing and transferring the liquid; an application roller applying the liquid transferred by the squeeze roller onto a recording medium surface; a press roller sandwiching and conveying the recording medium between the press roller and the application roller, pressing the recording medium against the application roller, transferring the liquid on the application roller onto the recording medium; a cartridge containing the liquid, to be exchangeably installed in a cartridge installation unit, and having an IC chip; a reader/writer reading/writing information from/to the IC chip; a liquid supply route connecting the installed cartridge and the supplying pan; a supplying pump placed on the liquid supply route; and a drive time measurement unit measuring a drive time of the supplying pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayuki Sunaoshi
  • Publication number: 20150010722
    Abstract: An ink for ink-jet printing used for ink-jet printing images onto the ink non-absorptive surfaces of cylindrical containers, and comprising at least a water-soluble solvent, a coloring material, a surfactant, a thickener and/or a binder resin, the coloring material being contained in an amount of 5 to 20% by weight, the surfactant in an amount of 0.1 to 5% by weight, the thickener in an amount of not more than 10% by weight, and the binder resin being contained in an amount of not more than 30% by weight . Owing to its ink-jet printability, the ink for ink-jet printing of the invention can be favorably used for printing images on the non-absorptive cylindrical containers such as seamless cans that are used for containing beverages and foods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicants: TOKAN MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., TOYO SEIKAN GROUP HOLDINGS, LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Yamada, Kenji Hayashi, Yukiko Saito, Hiroshi Shimomura
  • Patent number: 8926057
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection head, a capping unit, a supply unit, a wiping unit, and a control unit controlling these components. Upon receiving a maintenance signal, the control unit controls the capping unit and the supply unit so as to perform a second supplying operation of supplying air to an ejection space in an open state via a second opening, after a first supplying operation of supplying air to the ejection space in a sealed state via a first opening. Thereafter, the control unit controls the wiping unit and the capping unit so as to perform a wiping operation of wiping the surface of the opposing member and then switch the ejection space to the sealed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Ueno
  • Patent number: 8919922
    Abstract: A washing liquid supply mechanism includes a washing liquid supply device including a supply opening that supplies a washing liquid, the washing liquid supply device being mounted on a carriage; an openable/closable shutter mounted on the carriage and connected to the supply opening of the washing liquid supply device; and a shutter open/close device that opens the shutter when the carriage moves from a first position at which printing is performed to a second position at which printing is not performed and that closes the shutter when the carriage moves from the second position to the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Roland DG Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8911072
    Abstract: A pre-applying liquid applying apparatus for an inkjet printer is disclosed. The apparatus includes an applying roller which applies a treatment agent onto a recording medium before an image is formed; a squeeze roller which abuts against the applying roller; and a treatment agent supplying unit which supplies the treatment agent to a nip portion of the applying roller and the squeeze roller. A squeeze pressure adjusting mechanism is provided which adjusts an abutting force of the squeeze roller against the applying roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuya Ohba
  • Publication number: 20140362137
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides ink sets and related methods. An ink set can comprise an ink including an ink colorant and an ink vehicle, the ink devoid of metal salt; a treatment fluid including a latex, the treatment fluid devoid of thickener and colorant; and a fixer fluid including a precipitating agent, the fixer fluid devoid of colorant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Joshua A. Mann, Ali Emamjomeh, Ronald A. Askeland, Zeying Ma, George Sarkisian
  • Publication number: 20140354730
    Abstract: An ink jettable underprint composition includes a reversible polymer material, which can reversibly transition between a liquid state and a solid state by reversible cycloaddition reactions, wherein upon cooling, the reversible polymer material transitions from a liquid state to a solid state by reversible cycloaddition reactions within a time period of less than about 10 seconds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: James D. MAYO, Stephan DRAPPEL, C. Geoffrey ALLEN, Biby E. ABRAHAM, Sonja HADZIDEDIC