Nozzle Cap, Cover, Or Protection Patents (Class 347/29)
  • Patent number: 12115789
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus capable of efficiently performing print preparation in a standby state. For this purpose, the inkjet printing apparatus includes: a cap moving unit for bringing a cap member for protecting an ejection opening surface of a print head into or out of intimate contact with the ejection opening surface; and a positioning unit for positioning the print head so as to achieve a printing operation. The positioning unit allows a reference portion disposed at the print head to abut against a distance defining member for defining a predetermined distance between the ejection opening surface 8a and the platen so as to position the print head. At this time, the distance defining member is inserted into a portion at which the reference portion can abut in association with operation in which the cap moving unit separates the cap member from the ejection opening surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Kohnotoh
  • Patent number: 12109818
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a wiper, a recording head having a step portion and an ejection port surface supporting an ejection port, and a moving unit to relatively move the wiper and the recording head so that the wiper moves with respect to the recording head in relative movement in a first direction. In a first wiping, the relative movement causes the wiper to stop at or in vicinity of the step portion, or pass at or in the vicinity of the step portion at a speed lower than a speed at which the wiper wipes an area in which the ejection port is arranged. In a second wiping performed after the first wiping, the relative movement causes the wiper to pass through the step portion of the recording head and wipe the recording head in the first direction toward the area, and thereafter wipe the area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiromasa Tsutsumi, Hideaki Matsumura, Shimpei Fujisaki
  • Patent number: 12103307
    Abstract: A linear motion extensible device (21) includes: rod-shaped members (31); and a rotating plate (42) rotating in a wind-up direction to wind up the rod-shaped members (30) while rotating them around a coupling rotational shaft (32) and rotating in a wind-off direction to push out the rod-shaped members (31) so as to arrange them in a line, wherein the rod-shaped member (31) has: an intermediate shaft (33) and an angle regulating part (34) which regulates widening an angle between the adjacent rod-shaped members (31), the rotating plate (42) has engagement grooves (44) engaged with the coupling rotational shaft (32) and the intermediate shaft (33), and when the rotating plate (42) is rotated in the wind-off direction, the coupling rotational shaft (32) and the intermediate shaft (33) come into contact with an inner surface (45) of the engagement groove (44), are pushed out, and leave the engagement grooves (44).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Daisuke Eto
  • Patent number: 12070958
    Abstract: A digital printing device, arranged to print onto a printing medium that is relatively movable with respect to a fixed frame in an advancement direction; comprising at least one printing module and equipped with at least one print head (4) whose nozzle plate (5) is arranged to print and at least one collection member (6), so shaped at the top as to define a collection tank (8); wherein said collection member (6) and said printing module are relatively movable with respect to each other so as to be able to take at least two alternative configurations, among which: at least one collection configuration, in which said collection member (6) is located below said printing module; and a printing configuration in which said collection member (6) is side by side, along said advancement direction, with the printing module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: NEOS S.r.l.
    Inventor: Vincenzo Palumbo
  • Patent number: 12001740
    Abstract: A printer includes a container configured to store recording agent, a print head configured to eject the recording agent, and a controller configured to permit the printer to perform printing until a print permission amount, different from a remaining amount of the recording agent in the container, reaches a first threshold. The print permission amount is information regarding a quantity, of the recording agent or sheets usable by the printer. The controller is further configured to receive an instruction to perform user cleaning to clean the print head by ejecting the recording agent from the print head, and in response to the receipt of the instruction to perform the user cleaning, cause the printer to perform the user cleaning when the print permission amount has not reached a second threshold, whereas restricting execution of the user cleaning when the print permission amount has reached the second threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Taisei Okuzono
  • Patent number: 11970003
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejection apparatus, liquid ejection method, dispensing apparatus, and compound introduction apparatus capable of inhibiting contamination of a liquid after being ejected. The liquid ejection apparatus has an ejection unit having an ejection part and an ejection energy generation element that ejects a liquid from the ejection part by using a principle of inkjet ejection into an internal space in a storage part capable of storing the ejected liquid. When ejecting the liquid, the ejection unit covers an opening portion of the storage part to thereby screen the internal space in the storage part from an external space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Futoshi Hirose, Shinichi Sakurada, Sachiko Yamauchi, Tatsuaki Orihara, Yoshinori Itoh, Nobuyuki Kuwabara, Tsutomu Shiratori
  • Patent number: 11969941
    Abstract: Provided is a binder jetting 3D printer capable of continuous printing, wherein a box assembly is supplied by a horizontal movement guide means, a 3D object is built with binder jetting within a build box, and the box assembly in which the 3D object is built is withdrawn, thereby printing 3D objects continuously. In particular, provided is a binder jetting 3D printer capable of continuous printing, wherein a box assembly including a powder supply box and a build box is simplified by integrating the boxes and a lifting and lowering process of a supply plate and of a build plate is facilitated, thereby reducing the time taken for a 3D printing process and thus improving productivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: KLABS.INC
    Inventors: Won Hyo Kim, Do Young Kim
  • Patent number: 11964487
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes: a carriage movable in a first direction; a head mounted on the carriage; a holder movable in the first direction; a cap unit mounted on the holder; and first and second guide portions. The cap unit is movable relative to the holder in the first direction and is also movable toward and away from the head in a second direction crossing the first direction. The head is configured to abut on a second abutment portion of the cap unit in accordance with movement of the carriage in the first direction toward a first abutment portion of the holder. The first guide portion is configured to guide the holder in the first direction. The second guide portion is configured to guide the holder in the second direction to move the cap unit toward the head in accordance with movement of the holder in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuta Arakawa
  • Patent number: 11932035
    Abstract: There is provided a three-dimensional object printing apparatus including an imaging device fixed to a base and imaging an object located inside an imaging range, a first robot supporting a head having a nozzle for discharging a liquid and changing a position and a posture of the head, and a second robot supporting a three-dimensional workpiece and changes a position and a posture of the workpiece. The three-dimensional object printing apparatus performs a material feeding step of causing the second robot to move the workpiece from an outside to an inside of the imaging range, and a printing step of causing the head to discharge the liquid to the workpiece while at least one of the first robot and the second robot relatively moves the head and the workpiece inside the imaging range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomonaga Hasegawa, Yuichiro Matsuura, Masaru Kumagai, Shinichi Nakamura, Yuki Ishii
  • Patent number: 11932018
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a nozzle surface, a supply port, a conveyance unit, a first moving device, a cap, a second moving device and a controller. The supply port supplies a cleaning liquid for cleaning the nozzle surface. The cap has a recessed part whose upper surface is opened and a discharge port through which the liquid dropped in the recessed part is discharged. The controller controls the first moving device to arrange the nozzle surface and the conveyance unit in a retreat position, then controls the second moving device to arrange the cap, the nozzle surface and the supply port in a covering position, then controls such that the cleaning liquid is discharged from the supply port to the cap, and then controls such that the ink is purged from the nozzle surface to the cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Ryo Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 11840089
    Abstract: An inkjet head cleaning device includes a body; an ejection part formed in the body, and configured to eject a cleaning liquid to a nozzle surface of a head; and a suction part formed in the body, and configured to suck the cleaning liquid ejected from the ejection part and used for cleaning the nozzle surface of the head, and foreign substances separated from the nozzle surface of the head; and the ejection part includes a vertical passage through which the cleaning liquid flows and a discharge end at the end of the vertical passage and configured to guide the cleaning liquid to eject toward the suction part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: SEMES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae Hyun You, Hun Sub Lim
  • Patent number: 11833827
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a printing apparatus that is capable of obtaining accurately the amount of a waste liquid discharged from a printing unit. The printing apparatus includes a discharge unit that executes a discharge operation to discharge the liquid from the ejection port of the printing unit. The printing apparatus also includes a determination unit that determines filling states of the liquid in a printing apparatus main body and the printing unit and an obtaining unit that obtains, based on the filling states, a waste liquid amount discharged from the ejection port by the discharge operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Eiji Komamiya
  • Patent number: 11807007
    Abstract: A capping device configured to form a space surrounding an opening of a nozzle by coming into contact with a liquid ejecting head having the nozzle for ejecting a liquid, includes a unit cap, which is an example of a cap, including a recess that forms the space, a humidifying chamber that has an inlet through which a humidifying fluid for humidifying the space flows in and an outlet through which the humidifying fluid flows out, and a first moisture permeable membrane, which is an example of a partition wall, having gas permeability, that partitions the recess and the humidifying chamber. The recess has a discharge hole, which is an example of a hole for discharging the liquid discharged from the liquid ejecting head, which is the example of the cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromichi Takanashi, Akira Yamagishi, Akihiro Toya
  • Patent number: 11794477
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image with a coloring material on a recording medium includes a region specifier that specifies a region that becomes a margin when the image is formed on the recording medium; and a pattern image generator that generates image data of a pattern image to be formed in the region based on a size of the region and a type of the coloring material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunihiro Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 11787185
    Abstract: In some examples, a printing press includes a printing unit having at least four nozzle bars, each including a print head. The printing unit includes at least two cleaning devices. At least two of the nozzle bars are configured to make contact with at least one of the cleaning devices. At least one of the cleaning devices has at least one storage position and at least one usage position. In the storage position, the at least one cleaning device is arranged along a transport direction of a printing substrate. The at least two cleaning devices may include at least one guide system configured as a shared guide system, and the at least two cleaning devices may further include at least one guide element configured as a shared guide element. For example, the shared guide element may be configured as at least one of a linear guide or a rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: KOENIG & BAUER AG
    Inventors: Christian Arnold, Joachim Keupp, Wolfgang Reder, Karl Schäfer
  • Patent number: 11772380
    Abstract: The object of the present disclosure is to optimize the time necessary for filling and the ink consumption. One embodiment of the present disclosure is a printing apparatus having: a storage unit; a print head having an ejection port from which ink supplied from the storage unit is ejected; an ink supply path that connects the storage unit and the print head; a suction unit configured to perform suction at the ejection port; and a supply control unit configured to supply ink stored in the storage unit to the ink supply path and the print head by performing suction at the ejection port by the suction unit, and the printing apparatus has an acquisition unit configured to acquire information relating to ink discharge from the ink supply path and the supply control unit determines the number of times of suction by the suction unit based on the information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuki Narumi, Masataka Kato, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Yasunori Fujimoto, Shin Genta, Tomoki Yamamuro, Hiroto Kango, Kazuhiko Sato, Kazuo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11772381
    Abstract: A head cap covers an inkjet type recording head. The head cap includes a cap housing and a cap cover. The cap housing has a liquid storage space opened upward. The cap cover is provided along an open end of the cap housing. The cap cover has an opening through which the recording head enters and leaves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshiya Kusunoki
  • Patent number: 11766868
    Abstract: An ejection apparatus includes an ejection head having an ejection port surface and configured to eject a liquid to a recording medium for recording, a wiper configured to wipe the surface, and a moving unit configured to relatively move the wiper and the head to move the wiper in a first direction along the surface with respect to the head. The apparatus performs a first mode for performing the wiping while relatively moving the wiper and the head at a first speed, and a second mode for performing the wiping while relatively moving the wiper and the head at a second speed higher than the first speed. When the apparatus performs the wiping after the recording and then performs subsequent recording, the apparatus performs the second mode. When the apparatus performs the wiping after the recording and then performs no subsequent recording, the apparatus performs the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Toshiyuki Chikuma, Kei Kosaka
  • Patent number: 11752769
    Abstract: There is provided a head bar unit including a head bar, an adjuster and a movement. The head bar includes a plurality of heads. The adjuster is supported by the head bar, and is configured to adjust positions in a vertical direction of the heads. The movement is configured to move the head bar and the adjuster in the vertical direction. The adjuster includes a motor, a rotator and a stopper. The rotator includes a plurality of contact portions. The rotator is configured to be rotated by the motor around a rotating shaft. The stopper is located at a position facing the rotator in the vertical direction, and is configured to position the rotator in the vertical direction, by making contact with one of the contact portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noritaka Iwama, Yuya Tsuneoka
  • Patent number: 11731429
    Abstract: The inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a conveyor belt, and an ink receiving part. The ink receiving part includes a discharge port and a conveyance rotator. The discharge port is placed at an end portion in a crossing direction crossing a sheet conveyance direction, and discharges ink received in flashing. The conveyance rotator is rotated around a rotating shaft extending in the crossing direction. The conveyance rotator has a conveyance structure for conveying ink in the ink receiving part in a carry-out direction directed toward the discharge port along an axial direction of the rotating shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ueda
  • Patent number: 11731431
    Abstract: A printing device includes a printing unit configured to use ink stored in an ink cartridge to perform printing on a medium, a remaining amount detector configured to detect a remaining amount of the ink stored in the ink cartridge, a maintenance unit configured to perform maintenance on the printing unit, and a display unit configured to perform predetermined notification regarding either replacement of the ink cartridge or refilling of the ink cartridge with the ink. Either the printing device or a server device includes a selector configured to select either the maintenance to be performed or the predetermined notification based on the remaining amount of the ink when an amount of the ink used for a predetermined time period is equal to or smaller than a defined amount based on information on the amount of the ink used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinya Yamagata, Yoshiharu Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11724492
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head including a discharge port. The head discharges a liquid from the discharge port toward an object. The liquid discharge apparatus further includes a liquid receiving surface that receives the liquid discharged from the discharge port, a contact part that contacts the discharge port, a moving unit that holds at least one of the liquid receiving surface and the contact part, and a holder. The moving unit is movable between a facing position where at least one of the liquid receiving surface and the contact part faces the discharge port and a position where the liquid receiving surface and the contact part do not face the discharge port. The holder movably holds the discharge port of the head in a discharge direction to discharge the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Satoshi Kitaoka
  • Patent number: 11712710
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber in which a substrate is processed with a processing liquid; a nozzle having a discharge port from which the processing liquid is discharged, the discharge port being formed in a distal end portion of the nozzle; a nozzle bath including an accommodation chamber formed therein, wherein the distal end portion of the nozzle is accommodated in the accommodation chamber at a standby time at which the processing liquid is not supplied to the substrate; a circulation line configured to return the processing liquid, which is discharged from the nozzle to the nozzle bath, to the nozzle; and a first restraint part configured to restrain a gas from flowing between an outside of the nozzle bath and the processing liquid present inside the nozzle bath when the processing liquid discharged from the nozzle to the nozzle bath is circulated to the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Fumihiro Kamimura, Takahisa Otsuka, Hiroshi Komiya, Nobuhiro Ogata
  • Patent number: 11685165
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a liquid chamber that stores liquid, a first electrode pin and a second electrode pin to be inserted into the liquid chamber, applying unit for applying voltage across the first electrode pin and the second electrode pin, with the first electrode pin as an anode side and the second electrode pin as a cathode side, and detecting unit for detecting electric current flowing, and detection operation of detecting amount of liquid in the liquid chamber by the detecting unit detecting the electric current when the applying unit applies voltage. Prior to the detection operation, an oxidization aging operation is performed, in which the applying unit applies voltage across the first electrode pin and the second electrode pin. An amount of an oxide layer formed on at least a portion of the first electrode pin exposed inside the liquid chamber is greater than the second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kyosuke Toda, Yosuke Takagi, Akira Goto, Chiaki Muraoka
  • Patent number: 11679609
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus configured to perform recording operation by ejecting ink at least from a first recording head, includes an ink tank configured to contain the ink to be supplied to the first recording head, a tube configured to connect the first recording head and the ink tank, and a carriage including a first mounting portion on which the first recording head is mounted, a second mounting portion on which a second recording head is detachably mounted, and a contact portion electrically connected to the second recording head, and configured to reciprocate. A protection member protecting the contact portion can be detachably mounted on the second mounting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yusuke Tanaka, Koki Shimada, Masateru Komori, Yuta Araki
  • Patent number: 11660870
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a liquid ejecting head including a wiped surface that includes a first region including nozzles and a second region outside the first region; and a wiping mechanism that wipes the wiped surface, in which a first wiping operation in which the wiping mechanism moves relative to the wiped surface in a first direction to thereby wipe the first region and the second region is performed, and a second wiping operation in which, before the first wiping operation, the wiping mechanism moves relative to the wiped surface in a direction different from the first direction to thereby wipe a region including an upstream portion of the second region, the upstream portion being arranged, with respect to the first region, in a second direction opposite to the first direction, is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Morikoshi
  • Patent number: 11654704
    Abstract: A printer includes a gap adjustment unit that displaces a carriage in a Z-axis direction in which a gap changes. The gap adjustment unit has a sliding member that moves in a width direction integrally with the carriage, and a cam member that is interposed between the carriage and the sliding member and has a stepped portion in which a maintenance surface that maintains a position of the carriage in the Z-axis direction and an adjustment surface that changes the position of the carriage in the Z-axis direction are alternately arranged in the width direction. The gap adjustment unit is configured such that the cam member slides in the width direction with respect to the carriage and the sliding member to change the gap. The gap adjustment unit includes a buffer unit that decreases a displacement speed of the carriage in the Z-axis direction when the gap is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Keita Hanawa, Katsunari Kumagai, Kensuke Tamai
  • Patent number: 11642881
    Abstract: Examples relate to a method to print a print job. The method comprise comparing an operational parameter of the print job with a reference operational parameter and determining to perform a maintenance task during the print job based on at least a result of comparing the operational parameter with the reference operational parameter. If the maintenance task is to be performed, the method further comprises determining a safety area on a printable medium and performing a maintenance task on a printable medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Andreu Vinets Alonso, Antonio Gracia Verdugo, Josep Maria Bel Calavia
  • Patent number: 11633756
    Abstract: A liquid dispenser. The dispenser includes reversible modular components to define selective removability and rearrangement between them and a base structure such that one or more sheets of a passing liquid-receiving substrate may receive such liquid through interchangeable liquid-dispensing orientations. The removability features include tool-free operation to facilitate quick insertion and removal of the modular components that include at least a liquid-dispensing valve assembly and a seal that is selectively engageable with the valve assembly to protect liquid-dispensing nozzles of the valve assembly from becoming clogged with residual dried liquid during periods of inactivity of the liquid dispenser. Selective movable cooperation or attachment between the modules—as well as between the modules and the base structure—facilitates flexible configurations of the dispenser, including top-down and bottom-up liquid-dispensing orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: VALCO CINCINNATI, INC.
    Inventors: Benjamin Woolery, Steven Turner
  • Patent number: 11623443
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head configured to eject liquid from a nozzle onto a medium to perform printing, a liquid accommodating unit configured to receive, via an opening, the liquid ejected by empty discharging that ejects the liquid from the liquid ejecting head separately from the printing, a cover movable to a closed position where the opening of the liquid accommodating unit is covered and an open position where the opening is opened, and a detection unit configured to detect the cover positioned at the closed position or the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Nakata, Yuichi Urabe
  • Patent number: 11584129
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a housing, a cap unit, a protrusion and a guide part. The recording head has an ink ejecting port on a lower face. The housing supports the recording head. The cap unit includes a cap. The cap unit is inserted into a space below the recording head in a predetermined direction to be attached to the housing and to cover the lower face of the recording head with the cap. The protrusion is protruded from a lower portion of the housing on a rear side in the predetermined direction more downward than the lower face of the recording head. The guide part is formed in an upper portion of the cap unit on the rear side in the predetermined direction and comes into contact with the protrusion so as to guide insertion and removal of the cap unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Fukunaga, Yuzo Onishi
  • Patent number: 11565541
    Abstract: A method of wiping an inkjet printhead. The method includes the steps of: lifting a print module carrier relative to a media feed path, the print module carrier having a mounting arm bridging over a wiper carriage parked at one longitudinal end of a printhead carried by the print module carrier; and moving the wiper carriage, from its parked position below the mounting arm, longitudinally along the printhead to wipe a surface of the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Inventor: Mark Profaca
  • Patent number: 11559992
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a print head that ejects ink, a waste ink tank having an absorber that absorbs ink discharged from the print head. The inkjet printing apparatus further includes a counting unit that counts a waste ink amount discharged to the waste ink tank, a timer that measures an elapsed time from installation of the waste ink tank in the apparatus, an acquiring unit that acquires a waste ink retention amount by obtaining an evaporation amount from evaporation of waste ink retained in the waste ink tank based on the elapsed time and subtracting the evaporation amount from the waste ink amount, a notifying unit that notifies that the waste ink retention amount exceeds a threshold; and a setting unit that sets the threshold based on a waste ink evaporation rate calculated by using the evaporation amount and the waste ink amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 11554586
    Abstract: A liquid discharge device includes a head including a discharge port. The head discharges a liquid from the discharge port toward an object. The liquid discharge device further includes a liquid receiving surface to receive the liquid discharged from the discharge port, a liquid collector to collect the liquid received by the liquid receiving surface, and a moving unit to hold the liquid receiving surface and the liquid collector. The moving unit is movable at a facing position where the liquid receiving surface faces the discharge port without changing an inclination of the liquid collector with respect to a horizontal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroomi Yokomaku, Tomomi Katoh
  • Patent number: 11529813
    Abstract: A pressure adjustment unit includes a valve body including a base end portion, a shaft portion protruding in a first-direction from the base end portion, and an elastic member, and a casing that has a partition wall formed with a through hole into which the shaft portion is inserted, and a first-wall protruding in a second-direction opposite to the first-direction to define the first-chamber. On a first-chamber side of the partition wall, a valve seat, which is annular, is provided around the through hole to block a flow path by contacting with the elastic member, an outer periphery of the base end portion has a positioning region, and a distance between a first-direction-side end portion of the positioning region and a first-direction-side distal end of the shaft portion is shorter than a distance between the valve seat and a second-direction-side end portion of the first-wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Sato, Yu Okamura
  • Patent number: 11511543
    Abstract: An ink jet head maintenance apparatus includes a suction member which includes a suction hole to suction ink and in which air in the suction hole is suctioned from one opening of the suction hole by a suction operation unit. The suction member includes a height adjustment surface which is adjacent to an opening surface in which the other opening of the suction hole is provided and in which an inner angle formed with the opening surface is an obtuse angle. Each position of the opening surface is able to move in a first direction including a normal direction of the opening surface in a predetermined initial state in response to external force applied to the height adjustment surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Jun Marubayashi, Taishi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11504968
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a liquid ejection face on which multiple ejection port arrays, each of which is formed with multiple ejection ports that eject liquid, are arranged. In the liquid ejection head, a first protrusion and a second protrusion, which have different sizes, are arranged in peripheral areas of the ejection port arrays on the liquid ejection face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiji Matsumoto, Shinji Kishikawa
  • Patent number: 11491791
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a cleaning device comprises a suction port portion, a guide portion, and an urging member. The suction port portion is configured to face a nozzle plate of a liquid discharge head at a predetermined gap distance between the suction port and the nozzle plate. The guide portion is configured to face a cover mask of the liquid discharge head and is moveable in a direction away from the cover mask. The cover mask covers a periphery of a surface of the nozzle plate. The urging member is configured to urge the guide portion toward the cover mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Kimura
  • Patent number: 11427008
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head configured to discharge a liquid, and a discharge receptacle configured to receive the liquid discharged from the head at an installation position. The discharge receptacle includes a liquid holder configured to receive the liquid discharged from the head, and a support configured to detachably support the liquid holder. At least a part of the support is displaceable to a detachment position at which the liquid holder is detachable from the support, and the detachment position is lower than the installation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Kikuchi, Kazuhisa Yoda
  • Patent number: 11427004
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus is provided, which comprises a conveyer, a rotatable support mechanism which supports a medium, a head, and a maintenance mechanism which has a cap configured to cover nozzles of the head. The support mechanism is configured to rotate about a rotation shaft to a first rotation position and a second rotation position at which a rotation end is separated further from the head as compared with a situation provided at the first rotation position. The maintenance mechanism is configured to move to a waiting position which is positioned oppositely to the rotation shaft of the support mechanism with respect to the rotation end of the support mechanism and a maintenance position which is positioned between the head and the support mechanism disposed at the second rotation position and at which the cap covers the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsugi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11400728
    Abstract: The area of the openings Ow that discharges the white ink is larger than the area of the openings Ot that discharges the color inks. Since the openings Ow are secured to be large in this way, more white ink can be discharged to one pixel while the number of ink droplets discharged by the multi-drop method is suppressed or without depending on the multi-drop method. As a result, a generation amount of an ink mist can be suppressed while the discharge amount of the white ink is secured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Furuichi, Tadayoshi Suyama, Shuangning Wang
  • Patent number: 11383511
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a liquid chamber, a first electrode pin and a second electrode pin which are inserted into the liquid chamber, application unit for applying a voltage between the first electrode pin and the second electrode pin, and detection unit for detecting a current which flows between the first electrode pin and the second electrode pin, the image recording apparatus has: a first period in which the application unit applies the voltage between the first electrode pin and the second electrode pin, with the first electrode pin as an anode side and the second electrode pin as a cathode side, and the detection unit detects the current; and a second period in which the application unit applies the voltage between the first electrode pin and the second electrode pin, with the first electrode pin as the cathode side and the second electrode pin as the anode side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Takagi, Chiaki Muraoka, Akira Goto, Kyosuke Toda
  • Patent number: 11335624
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a print head discharging a liquid and a control circuit controlling an operation of the print head. the print head includes a connector having a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, and a fourth terminal, a first integrated circuit, a circuit substrate on which the connector and the first integrated circuit are provided and which has first wiring, second wiring, third wiring, fourth wiring, fifth wiring, and sixth wiring, and a first wiring substrate, in which the first wiring electrically couples the first terminal and the first integrated circuit to each other, the fifth wiring electrically couples the first terminal and the first integrated circuit to each other, and the sixth wiring electrically couples the first integrated circuit and the first wiring substrate to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yusuke Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 11311902
    Abstract: A viscous material wiping device wipes the viscous material attached to the tip of a spatula with a sheet. A sheet support jig has a groove recessed in the sheet facing surface, the groove includes a receiving portion and a wiping portion that are continuous in the groove extending direction, and the wiping portion has a groove width smaller than that of the receiving portion and substantially equal to the outer dimension of the tip of the spatula. A controller drives the moving mechanism to position the spatula on the opposite side of the sheet supporting jig with respect to the sheet in a posture that the spatula extends parallel to the groove extending direction and overlaps the groove when viewed in a normal direction of the sheet facing surface, and move the spatula in the normal direction so that the tip of the spatula is received in the receiving portion by pressing the sheet against the groove with the spatula.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naohiro Otsuki, Satoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11279134
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection head configured to eject liquid from a plurality of nozzles to a medium and a plurality of caps configured to cover a plurality of nozzle groups. The plurality of caps includes a first cap group covering a first nozzle group positioned near the center of the liquid ejection head among the plurality of nozzle groups and a second cap group and a third cap group provided at positions sandwiching the first cap group in the width direction. The liquid ejection head is configured to execute a first idle ejection for ejecting liquid from the plurality of nozzles constituting the plurality of nozzle groups to the plurality of caps and a second idle ejection for ejecting the liquid from the plurality of nozzles constituting the second nozzle group and the third nozzle group to the second cap group and the third cap group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masaru Kobashi, Tomoyoshi Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: 11260665
    Abstract: An example apparatus includes a gear comprising a gear hub; a swing-arm rotationally engaged with the gear hub; and a spring circumferentially engaged with the gear hub and the swing-arm to apply a radial clamping force between the swing-arm and the gear hub. Torque is frictionally coupled from the gear hub to the swing-arm to lock a capped print head assembly (PHA) in a non-printing location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Keith Jariabka, Jafar N Jefferson, William Fournier
  • Patent number: 11260663
    Abstract: A printer includes a head having a nozzle face which ejects ink toward an object, a driving mechanism which moves the head in a first direction and a second direction approximately orthogonal to the first direction, a nozzle cap movable between a first position where the nozzle face is capped and a second position where the nozzle face is uncapped, and a lock mechanism which regulates movement of the head in the first direction and the second direction in the state where the nozzle cap is in the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Yasumoto
  • Patent number: 11230095
    Abstract: A method of controlling a liquid ejecting apparatus includes detecting an ejection failure of nozzles by inspecting an ejection state of the nozzles from which liquid is ejected, covering the nozzles with a cap when the number of the nozzles whose ejection failure is detected is equal to or less than a predetermined number, and discharging the liquid from the nozzles when the number of the nozzles whose ejection failure is detected is greater than the predetermined number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Tsukada
  • Patent number: 11220109
    Abstract: A maintenance device has a maintenance unit. The maintenance unit has a blade unit to which a plurality of wiping blades are fixed, a wiper carriage to which the blade unit is attached, and a support frame that supports the wiper carriage. The wiper carriage has a stationary portion with a sliding roller, a movable portion with a positioning roller, and an elastic member. The elastic member elastically supports the movable portion relative to the stationary portion, and elastically contracts, when the maintenance unit is pressed against a plurality of recording heads by a unit ascent-descent mechanism with an excessive pressing force stronger than a predetermined pressing force, by receiving the reaction force of the excessive pressing force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Susumu Hanano
  • Patent number: 11207836
    Abstract: The present application relates generally to systems and methods for using machine vision to provide information on one or more aspects of an additive fabrication device, such as calibration parameters and/or an object formed by the device or in the process of being formed by the device. According to some aspects, a method is provided for calibrating an additive fabrication device. According to some aspects, a method is provided for assessing at least a portion of an object formed using an additive fabrication device. According to some aspects, a method is provided for fabricating a second object in contact with a first object using an additive fabrication device. According to some aspects, an additive fabrication device configured to perform one or more of the above methods may be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Javier E. Ramos, Pitchaya Sitthi-Amorn, Wojciech Matusik, Yuwang Wang