Mist Or Dust Removal Patents (Class 347/34)
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Patent number: 8622514Abstract: A head cleaning method of wiping and cleaning a nozzle surface of a head with a band-shaped liquid absorbing body by, while pressing and abutting a pressing member on which the liquid absorbing body that travels is wrapped against the nozzle surface of the head, sliding the pressing member over the nozzle surface of the head, includes: a first cleaning step of wiping and cleaning the nozzle surface of the head with a non-wet region of the liquid absorbing body; a wet region forming step of forming a wet region on the liquid absorbing body; and a second cleaning step of wiping and cleaning the nozzle surface of the head with the wet region of the liquid absorbing body.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2012Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventor: Hiroshi Inoue
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Patent number: 8622515Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a carriage movable in a main scanning direction in the image forming apparatus; a recording head mounted on the carriage to eject droplets; a maintenance unit disposed outboard of a recording area in the main scanning direction of the carriage and including a first liquid receptacle to collect droplets not used for image formation; a first space provided between the recording area and the maintenance unit; and a first sloped member provided at a side of the first space close to the maintenance unit. The sloped member has a sloped portion inclined downwardly from an upper side toward a lateral side close to the recording area to guide droplet mist generated by ejection of droplets from the head to a lower part of the first space with movement of the carriage from a position facing the maintenance unit to a position facing the recording area.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2011Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Norikazu Yanase, Makoto Kikura, Tsuguyori Kemma, Shingo Masaoka
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Publication number: 20140002543Abstract: A fluid ejecting apparatus includes a nozzle that ejects fluid; a transporting section that transports in a direction of transportation a medium on which the fluid lands; and a mist sucking section that sucks air including a mist portion when the nozzle ejects the fluid, so as to move the mist portion from a route that extends from the nozzle to the spot on the medium where the fluid lands. The mist portion is a portion of mist, which is part of the fluid ejected by the nozzle that does not land on the medium and is floating.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 5, 2013Publication date: January 2, 2014Applicant: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kaoru KOIKE, Toshio KUMAGAI, Hiroki MATSUOKA
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Patent number: 8596752Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a record head having an ejection surface and a conveyance mechanism having a conveyance surface which passes through a position facing the ejection surface.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 2011Date of Patent: December 3, 2013Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenichi Hirata, Kengo Takeda
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Patent number: 8573736Abstract: To suitably use a metallic ink or a pearl-colored ink in an inkjet printer. Furthermore, to suitably use an ink containing a large-sized pigment in the inkjet printer. An inkjet printer includes an inkjet head 12 that discharges towards a printing medium 50 ink droplets of a metallic ink or a pearl-colored ink. The inkjet head 12 includes a nozzle 104 that discharges the ink droplets towards the printing medium 50, and an air blowing unit 120 that generates an airflow towards the printing medium 50 along the ink droplets discharged from the nozzle 104.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2010Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
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Patent number: 8573737Abstract: An ink or coating composition is rheologically tested at three or more temperatures which substantially cover the anticipated range of printing operation temperatures expected to be encountered during printing to determine the value of the rheological parameters viscous modulus, phase angle and phase-angle slope, and to identify values of these parameters encountered during printing around which the structural behavior of the ink or coating changes. An ink composition that has a phase angle of at least 55°, a viscous modulus of at least 150 Pa, and a phase-angle slope of at least ?0.5°/° C. exhibits low misting when employed in high speed printing apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2010Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Sun Chemical CorporationInventors: Saeid Savarmand, Richard R. Durand, Jr.
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Patent number: 8562104Abstract: An apparatus for maintaining a printhead is provided having a rotatable wiper roller having a shaft and a porous material about the shaft, a rotatable transfer roller in rotatable contact with the wiper roller, and a mechanism for rotating the wiper roller so that the porous material rotates against the printhead such that the porous material absorbs fluid from the printhead during the rotation, and for rotating the transfer roller against the wiper roller so that the fluid absorbed by the porous material is transferred to the transfer roller.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2011Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignee: Zamtec LtdInventors: John Christian Love, Jeffrey D. Lueschen, Paul Fishbein, Paul Seiter, Greg Williams
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Patent number: 8556374Abstract: In one example, an air barrier system for a printhead assembly includes a source of pressurized air and multiple channels operatively connected to the air source to channel multiple streams of air between two printheads in the printhead assembly.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2012Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Xavier Gros Gras, Xavier Gasso Puchal, Francesc Ros Cerro
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Patent number: 8550591Abstract: A fluid ejecting apparatus includes a nozzle that ejects fluid; a transporting section that transports in a direction of transportation a medium on which the fluid lands; and a mist sucking section that sucks air including a mist portion when the nozzle ejects the fluid, so as to move the mist portion from a route that extends from the nozzle to the spot on the medium where the fluid lands. The mist portion is a portion of mist, which is part of the fluid ejected by the nozzle that does not land on the medium and is floating.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2011Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kaoru Koike, Toshio Kumagai, Hiroki Matsuoka
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Patent number: 8544985Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes a print head unit including a plurality of head chips disposed in a widthwise direction of a supplied printing medium to eject ink to form an image, a wiping unit including a plurality of wiper members disposed in the widthwise direction of the printing medium, and a support member supporting the plurality of wiper members and located below the print head unit to move upwardly and downwardly. The image-forming apparatus also includes an ink discharging unit which accommodates and discharges ink spitted from the print head unit, an elevating driving unit which moves the wiping unit upwardly and downwardly between at least two positions of a first forward position which is a wiping standby position, a second forward position which is a scrapping position, and a retracted position, and a widthwise direction driving unit which reciprocates the wiping unit positioned in the first or second forward positions by the elevating driving unit.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2010Date of Patent: October 1, 2013Assignee: SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventors: Gun Heo, Youn-gun Jung
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Patent number: 8529018Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a carriage carrying a recording head and being movably supported, the recording head being configured to eject liquid onto a recording medium, a plurality of driven units to be driven by a drive source that generates a driving force, a transmission-switching mechanism configured to switch between the driven units, a carriage locker configured to prevent and allow movement of the carriage, and a transmission-switching locker configured to prevent and allow switching between the driven units. Movement prevention by the carriage locker and switching prevention by the transmission-switching locker are in synchronicity, and movement allowance by the carriage locker and switching allowance by the transmission-switching locker are in synchronicity.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2012Date of Patent: September 10, 2013Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Toshiki Takeuchi, Nobuhiro Toki, Haruo Uchida
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Publication number: 20130229460Abstract: A mist collection device is adapted to collect a mist of liquid generated by ejecting the liquid from nozzles. A suction section of a suction container includes a suction port having an elongated shape whose length in an arrangement direction of the nozzles is greater than a width in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction. A tube section of the suction container is in communication with the suction section and having a hollow tube shape whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the arrangement direction. An outlet section of the suction container is in communication with an inside of the tube section through a discharge port formed at a lower part of the tube section. A collection container collects the mist by turning it into liquid droplets. A suction device generates an air flow flowing from the suction container to the collection container.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2013Publication date: September 5, 2013Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventor: Norihiro MASUDA
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Publication number: 20130215194Abstract: Printers, methods, and apparatus to reduce aerosol are disclosed. An example apparatus to reduce aerosol includes a print head (102) to generate droplets (314-320) and aerosol (322-326), and to direct the droplets (314-320) toward a print substrate (104), a first corona wire (108) to generate first ions (340, 344) having a first electrical polarity to direct the aerosol (322-326) toward the print substrate (104), and a second corona wire (110) to generate second ions (340, 344) to direct the aerosol (322-326) toward the print substrate (104), wherein the second ions (340, 344) have a second electrical polarity that is opposite the first electrical polarity.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2010Publication date: August 22, 2013Applicant: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Napoleon J. Leoni, Omer Gila, Michael H. Lee, Henryk Birecki
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Patent number: 8511808Abstract: A recording head includes a plurality of nozzle arrays separately provided so as to correspond to kinds of recording liquids to be discharged, a plurality of common liquid chambers from which the recording liquids are supplied to the nozzle arrays, a plurality of recording-liquid introducing passages communicating with the common liquid chambers, and a plurality of filters provided in the recording-liquid introducing passages. Upstream aperture areas of the filters are equal to each other, and downstream aperture areas of the filters are different according to the kinds of recording liquids passing through the filters.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2008Date of Patent: August 20, 2013Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yukuo Yamaguchi, Yutaka Koizumi, Mikiya Umeyama, Kiyomitsu Kudo, Masaru Iketani, Yuichiro Akama, Satoshi Kimura
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Publication number: 20130187981Abstract: The possibility that narrow, high aspect ratio particles will pass through a rock screen of a print head is reduced by minimizing the number of times the particles interact with the rock screen. Each interaction is an opportunity for the particle to be positioned in an orientation such that it may pass through the rock screen. The reduction in particles passing through the rock screen is achieved by positioning a particle trap adjacent to the rock screen perimeter to collect debris that sloughs off the rock screen.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 23, 2012Publication date: July 25, 2013Applicant: XEROX CORPORATIONInventors: Andrew W. Hays, Terrance L Stephens
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Patent number: 8480205Abstract: An ink cleaning apparatus for a printer, includes an ink suction cover configured to suck loose ink and a valve assembly. The valve assembly includes a rotating gear and two pipes connected to the ink suction cover. The rotating gear defines a first receiving hole and a second receiving hole. A first fan and a second fan are mounted in the holes. One pipe connects to the first receiving hole, the other pipe connects to the second receiving hole. The rotating gear rotates to alternatively drive the first fan and the second fan to force air and loose ink in one of the two pipes from the ink suction cover, and drive the other fan to exhaust air with loose ink out of the other pipe.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2012Date of Patent: July 9, 2013Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kung-Huang Tsai
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Patent number: 8459775Abstract: A liquid ejecting head including: a head main body that has a nozzle opening for ejecting liquid, a rectifying plate that is disposed in a position away from the liquid ejecting surface on which the nozzle opening is opened and has an opening disposed in an area facing the nozzle opening, and an air stream generating unit that generates an air stream between the liquid ejecting surface and the rectifying plate along the surface direction of the liquid ejecting surface.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2011Date of Patent: June 11, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Teruaki Kaieda, Shinichi Itaya
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Patent number: 8444251Abstract: A scrapping unit and an image forming apparatus having the same, and cleaning methods thereof to improve a maintenance performance. The scrapping unit cleans a polluted member disposed in an image forming apparatus and stained by a polluting material. The scrapping unit may include an endless belt to circulate between an exposed position where a surface of the endless belt is exposed toward the polluted member, and a non-exposed position where the surface of the endless belt is not exposed with respect to the polluted member, and a belt support frame which includes a belt support surface to support the endless belt so that the endless belt can be unfolded in the exposed position, and a storing space to store the endless belt so that the endless belt can be folded in the non-exposed position.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2010Date of Patent: May 21, 2013Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., LtdInventors: Gun Heo, Karp-sik Youn, Young-su Lee, Youn-gun Jung
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Patent number: 8439479Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus having a liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid toward a target ejection medium and a target ejection medium support member that is disposed so as to oppose the liquid ejecting unit and supports the target ejection medium, includes a conductive shielding member that covers a first side of the target ejection medium, which opposes the liquid ejecting unit, at an edge area including an edge perpendicular to a feeding direction of the target ejection medium.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2010Date of Patent: May 14, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Yoichi Yamada, Kiyoteru Katsuki, Masaru Kobashi, Daisuke Matsumoto, Yasunori Koike
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Patent number: 8430464Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head which ejects liquid from a nozzle orifice, a blowing mechanism disposed on the liquid ejecting head side, and a gap control unit which relatively controls a gap between the nozzle orifices and an ejection target medium, in which driving of the blowing mechanism is controlled depending on the gap between the nozzle orifices and the ejection target medium.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2009Date of Patent: April 30, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Yuki Togawa
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Patent number: 8430477Abstract: A liquid injection head has a nozzle body having a row of nozzle holes and a nozzle guard that covers the row of nozzle holes. The nozzle guard has a top portion having formed therein a slit opposed to the row of nozzle holes, a sealing portion that seals an area between a peripheral edge of the top portion and the nozzle body, and a suction flow path having a suction port opening below the row of nozzle holes and communicating with a space on an inner side of the nozzle guard. A suction section connected to the suction flow path of the nozzle guard causes the space on the inner side of the nozzle guard to form a negative pressure chamber such that a liquid overflowing into the negative pressure chamber is sucked from the suction port of the suction flow path.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2009Date of Patent: April 30, 2013Assignee: SII Printek Inc.Inventors: Akifumi Sakata, Kazuyoshi Tominaga, Toshiaki Watanabe, Masatoshi Toda, Akihiro Sadaki
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Patent number: 8425002Abstract: An image recording device includes a recording head comprising a plurality of nozzles configured to dispense ink onto a recording medium when the recording medium is conveyed in a sub-scanning direction, and a carriage configured to reciprocate in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction, in which the recording head is positioned on the carriage and moves with the carriage. The image recording device also includes a cleaning unit positioned within the carriage. The cleaning unit is positioned at a more upstream side in the sub-scanning direction than the plurality of nozzles are positioned in the sub-scanning direction, and the cleaning unit includes a cleaning member. Moreover, the cleaning member is configured to move between a first position in which the cleaning member is in contact with a surface of the recording medium, and a second position in which the cleaning member is separated from the surface of the recording medium.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2007Date of Patent: April 23, 2013Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Masatoshi Izuchi
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Patent number: 8419161Abstract: A method of removing flooded ink from an ink ejection face of a printhead. The method comprises moving a surface past the ink ejection face and transferring the flooded ink onto the moving surface, where no part of the surface contacts the face. The surface can be a surface of a disposable sheet. The disposable sheet can be absorbent. The disposable sheet can be different from print media used for printing.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2010Date of Patent: April 16, 2013Assignee: Zamtec LtdInventors: Brian Robert Brown, Vesa Karppinen, Kia Silverbrook
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Publication number: 20130083121Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus is provided including: a liquid jetting head having a nozzle formed therein through which the liquid is jetted; a driving unit which is configured to output energy to the liquid jetting head; an energy recovery mechanism which is configured to recover and supply a part of the energy supplied from the driving unit to the liquid jetting head; and a mist removing unit to which the part of the energy recovered by the energy recovery mechanism is supplied so that the supplied energy is used to remove a mist generated under a condition that the liquid jetting head jets the liquid.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2012Publication date: April 4, 2013Inventors: Reiko HIGASHIKAWA, Hirofumi KONDO, Tomoyuki KUBO, Masayoshi HAYASHI, Masato SUEYASU, Toru YAMASHITA, Tatsuya NISHIKAWA, Yasuhiro KATO, Shuhei HIWADA
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Publication number: 20130083124Abstract: In an inkjet recording apparatus including an ink and solvent containers, they are coupled with each other through a first exhaust channel, an exhaust gas and ink mist within the ink container are supplied to the solvent container through the first exhaust channel, and the solvent container has an ink mist removal unit removing the ink mist supplied from the first exhaust channel.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2012Publication date: April 4, 2013Inventors: Takahiro ARIMA, Akira MIYAO
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Patent number: 8408672Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a printing apparatus including one or more print heads for depositing printing fluid onto a substrate, wherein the apparatus comprises a maintenance unit for the one or more print heads. The present invention further relates to a method for cleaning one or more print heads from adhering printing fluid. The present invention also relates to the use of said apparatus in the automated manufacture of a contact lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2010Date of Patent: April 2, 2013Assignee: Novartis AGInventors: Georg Cramm, Axel Heinrich, Stephan Pirl, Gabriela Cocora
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Publication number: 20130070018Abstract: A liquid-jet head includes nozzles, pressurized chambers to communicate with the nozzles, a common liquid chamber to communicate with each of the pressurized chambers, each of the common liquid chamber and the pressurized liquid chambers having a negative pressure of a predetermined value, first communicating paths to communicate between the common liquid chamber and the pressurized liquid chamber to serve as a filter to prevent air bubbles from intruding into the pressurized liquid chamber, the filter having openings, each opening having an opening area smaller than an opening area of each of the nozzles, and an air bubble discharge chamber including a second communicating path to communicate with the common liquid chamber having an air bubble remaining part in a region downstream in a liquid flow direction, and an opening part from which the air bubbles having entered via the second communicating path are discharged during a maintenance-restoration operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2012Publication date: March 21, 2013Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.Inventor: Takafumi SASAKI
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Patent number: 8388102Abstract: A method of maintaining a fluid applicator unit of an image forming apparatus in which the fluid applicator unit includes a nozzle surface having nozzles is disclosed. The method includes ejecting fluid through nozzles of a fluid applicator unit of an image forming apparatus during a maintenance mode to maintain flow paths therethrough such that the fluid is emitted from the nozzles in a form of fluid drops. The method also includes receiving the fluid drops emitted from the nozzles during the maintenance mode on a receiving member to form waste liquid therefrom and directing the waste liquid from the receiving member to a waste receiving unit through a liquid passage. The method also includes directing aerosol formed from the fluid drops emitted from the nozzles to the aerosol receiving unit through an aerosol passage such that the aerosol passage is separate from the liquid passage and receiving the aerosol directed to the aerosol receiving unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2011Date of Patent: March 5, 2013Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Ainhoa Urbistondo, Marta Coma, Francesc Melia
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Patent number: 8388103Abstract: A flushing apparatus includes a suction mechanism and an ink mist collecting mechanism. The suction mechanism is to suck ink mist. The ink mist collecting mechanism is to collect the ink mist by a suction force of the suction mechanism. The ink mist collecting mechanism includes an upper face part and a droplet forming member. The ink ejected from the nozzle is dropped on the upper face part. The upper face part includes a plurality of suction holes through which the ink mist is sucked into an inside of the ink mist collecting mechanism by the suction force of the suction mechanism. The droplet forming member is provided at a position corresponding to the plurality of the suction holes to provide droplets from the ink mist sucked through the plurality of the suction holes.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2012Date of Patent: March 5, 2013Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Takashi Kiuchi, Hiroyoshi Takano
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Patent number: 8382242Abstract: A printing system that has a media feed assembly for feeding different sizes of media along a media path, the media path having a width corresponding to a maximum width of media that can be printed by the printing system. The system also having a printhead assembly positioned on a first side of the media path and spanning the width of the media path, an aerosol collection duct with an opening on the first side of the media path and a spittoon system positioned on a second side of the media path opposing the first side. The printhead assembly is configured to eject non-printing ink drops from any section not required to print media that is less than the maximum width, and the spittoon system is configured to collect the non-printing ink drops.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2010Date of Patent: February 26, 2013Assignee: Zamtec LtdInventors: Robert Rosati, David Petch, David Burney, Jim Sykora, Kenneth A Regas, Andy Bound, Neil Doherty, Scott Dennis, Ben Jones, Oksana Buyda, Locson Tonthat, Andrew Buyda, Patrick Kirk, Loren Hunt, Jason Dewey, Jim Trinchera, Bill Cressman, Ron Zech
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Patent number: 8382240Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid onto a medium serving as an ejection target, a medium support unit that is disposed so as to face the liquid ejecting unit and supports the medium, a medium transportation unit that is first located at an upstream side of the liquid ejecting unit in a transportation direction of the medium and transports the medium to a downstream side, a medium contact section that makes contact with the medium between the medium transportation unit and the liquid ejecting unit in the transportation direction of the medium, and a same potential setting unit that sets the medium contact section and a predetermined section of the liquid ejecting unit to have the same potential.Type: GrantFiled: November 11, 2010Date of Patent: February 26, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kiyoteru Katsuki, Yoichi Yamada, Masaru Kobashi, Daisuke Matsumoto
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Patent number: 8382243Abstract: An inkjet printer that has a printhead with a nozzle array for ejecting droplets of ink onto a media substrate, a media feed assembly for feeding media passed the printhead in a media feed direction such that the nozzle array and the media substrate are separated by a print gap and, an air flow generation mechanism for generating an air flow in the print gap opposite to the media feed direction.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2010Date of Patent: February 26, 2013Assignee: Zamtec Ltd.Inventors: Jeffrey John Miller, Paul Justin Reichl, Samuel James Myers, Glenn David Horrocks, Aidan Patrick O'Mahony, Samuel George Mallinson
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Patent number: 8376511Abstract: An image forming apparatus for a printer forms images by injecting inks on a printing paper being fed on a feeding path. The image forming apparatus comprises a head holder surface provided on the feeding path with being opposed to a surface of the feeding path and a plurality of ink heads for injecting inks from injection ports thereof. Here, the injection ports of the plurality of ink heads are projected outward from the head holder surface. The image forming apparatus can achieve further downsizing and multifunctional capability and improve quality of higher pixelated printed images. In addition, the image forming apparatus can prevent negative effects such as ink injection failures or defacement of printed matters due to ink mists made on injecting ink.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2009Date of Patent: February 19, 2013Assignee: Riso Kagaku CorporationInventors: Tomohiko Shimoda, Hiroshi Sugitani, Naoki Akihiro
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Patent number: 8366239Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a printing head having an ink nozzle configured to discharge ink droplets onto a recording medium in order to form an image on the recording medium in a recording operation; a carriage on which the printing head is mounted and being moved in a main-scan direction during the recording operation; a linear encoder sheet having a counter for detecting a position of the carriage; an encoder sensor mounted on the carriage and detecting the position of the carriage by optically reading the counter of the linear encoder sheet; an carriage unit enclosure in which at least the carriage, the linear encoder sheet, and the encoder sensor are disposed; and an internal pressure adjusting unit adjusting an internal pressure of the carriage unit enclosure to be other than a negative pressure.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2011Date of Patent: February 5, 2013Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventor: Eiji Tachibana
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Patent number: 8360571Abstract: First humidified gas is supplied from a first supply port to a sheet to be conveyed to increase the moisture content of the sheet. Second humidified gas is supplied to a space where nozzles of the inkjet recording head are exposed, from a second supply port provided at a position closer to the inkjet recording head than the first supply port to increase the atmosphere humidity of the space. The part of the sheet of which the moisture content has been increased is made to enter the space where the atmosphere humidity has been increased, and recording is performed. When a conveyance operation stops, the quantity of flow or humidity of the first humidified gas is reduced. In resupplying a temporarily returned sheet, the amount of moisture to be provided by the first humidified gas is set in accordance with regions of the sheet.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2010Date of Patent: January 29, 2013Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hiroyuki Kinoshita
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Patent number: 8360548Abstract: A printhead maintenance assembly for an inkjet printer includes a movable chassis arranged in a housing; an endless belt mounted on the chassis, the endless belt having a contact surface reciprocally movable between a first position in which the contact surface is engaged with the printhead and a second position in which the contact surface is disengaged from the printhead; a pair of spools mounted on the chassis and on which the belt is mounted, one of the spools being a toothed drive spool and the other being an idler spool; a drive gear driven by a drive motor and engaged with the drive spool, the drive gear, the drive spool, and the drive motor forming a conveyor mechanism for conveying the belt in a direction substantially parallel with a longitudinal axis of the printhead; and a cleaning station mounted on the chassis and positioned to clean the belt as the belt moves past. The contact surface is sloped with respect to the printhead.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2010Date of Patent: January 29, 2013Assignee: Zamtec LtdInventors: Kia Silverbrook, Norman Micheal Berry, Akira Nakazawa, Paul Ian Mackey, Garry Raymond Jackson
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Patent number: 8356881Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a media supporter, a head device, and an ink mist removal mechanism. The media supporter is configured to support a printing medium. The head device includes an inkjet head from which ink is configured to be discharged to print on the printing medium supported by the media supporter while the head device relatively moves with respect to the printing medium. The ink mist removal mechanism is arranged in the head device and faces the printing medium. The ink mist removal mechanism is configured to generate an air current that flows through a space between the head device and the printing medium. The ink mist removal mechanism is configured to discharge the air current to outside thereby removing ink mist generated due to ink discharge from the inkjet heads.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2010Date of Patent: January 22, 2013Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
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Patent number: 8353591Abstract: A printer using ink jet printing technology to print one or more colors on a sheet for use in a box is described. The printer has a feeder, a transport mechanism for moving the sheet the print head, and a stacker to receive the printed sheet. Differential air pressure is applied by a suction box disposed in proximity to a conveyer belt for transporting the sheet. The suction box may sized so that the sheet may be oriented with a long dimension in the direction of feeding. Where multiple print heads are used, the print heads overlap in the direction transverse to the motion of the sheet so that an image larger than a print head may be produced. Two printing mechanisms disposed opposite each other may be used to print two sides of a sheet.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2006Date of Patent: January 15, 2013Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha IsowaInventors: Hideyuki Isowa, Kazuhiro Hatasa, Shunji Kato
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Patent number: 8353592Abstract: A wide format printer that has a vacuum platen assembly, a printhead assembly spaced from the vacuum platen assembly, a media path extending between the vacuum platen assembly and the printhead assembly and a media encoder embedded within the vacuum platen assembly wherein, the media path is greater than 432 mm (17 inches) wide.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2010Date of Patent: January 15, 2013Assignee: Zamtec LtdInventors: Robert Rosati, David Petch, David Burney, Jim Sykora, Kenneth A. Regas, Andy Bound, Neil Doherty, Scott Dennis, Ben Jones, Oksana Buyda, Locson Tonthat, Andrew Buyda, Patrick Kirk, Loren Hunt, Jason Dewey, Jim Trinchera, Bill Cressman, Ron Zech
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Patent number: 8348364Abstract: A fluid supply device, a printing device, and a method of cleaning a printing device are disclosed. A fluid supply device includes a main tank, a fluid chamber, a fluid-discharging head, a movable carriage, an expansion mechanism that expands the fluid chamber to draw fluid from the main tank, a suction mechanism, a remaining fluid detection unit, a comparison unit that compares the remaining fluid volume in the main tank with a specified value, and a setting unit that sets a cleaning mode. The expansion mechanism is actuated via a movement of the movable carriage. The setting unit sets a first cleaning mode in which a first amount of fluid is vacuumed from the nozzle or a second cleaning mode in which a second amount of fluid is vacuumed from the nozzle that is less than the first amount. The cleaning mode is selected in response to the amount of fluid remaining in the main tank.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2009Date of Patent: January 8, 2013Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Susumu Taga
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Patent number: 8342639Abstract: A head cleaning method of wiping and cleaning a nozzle surface of a head with a band-shaped liquid absorbing body by, while pressing and abutting a pressing member on which the liquid absorbing body that travels is wrapped against the nozzle surface of the head, sliding the pressing member over the nozzle surface of the head, includes: a first cleaning step of wiping and cleaning the nozzle surface of the head with a non-wet region of the liquid absorbing body; a wet region forming step of forming a wet region on the liquid absorbing body; and a second cleaning step of wiping and cleaning the nozzle surface of the head with the wet region of the liquid absorbing body.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2010Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignee: Fujifilm CorporationInventor: Hiroshi Inoue
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Patent number: 8317295Abstract: A microparticle/aerosol-collecting device for office machine. The microparticle/aerosol-collecting device is positioned near a printing section or a printer head. The microparticle/aerosol-collecting device includes a housing having an upper section and a lower section defining a space. The space has an opening. An absorption section is arranged in the space. The absorption section is formed with a chamber and multiple passages communicating with the chamber. The microparticle/aerosol-collecting device further includes a cleaning unit disposed in the chamber of the absorption section. The absorption section is rotationally drivable by a motor to create a negative pressure effect around the absorption section, whereby the airflow is collectively taken into the chamber of the absorption section through the passages thereof. Accordingly, the microparticles or ink aerosols are entrained by the airflow to go into the chamber. The microparticles or ink aerosols are then absorbed and removed by the cleaning unit.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2008Date of Patent: November 27, 2012Assignee: Kinpo Electronics, Inc.Inventors: Yi-Lin Lai, Tien-Yu Pan, Tuo-Jen Chen
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Patent number: 8303061Abstract: A fluid supply device, a printing device, and a method of cleaning a printing device are disclosed. A fluid supply device includes a main tank, a fluid chamber, a fluid-discharging head, a movable carriage, an expansion mechanism that expands the fluid chamber to draw fluid from the main tank, a suction mechanism, a remaining fluid detection unit, a comparison unit that compares the remaining fluid volume in the main tank with a specified value, and a setting unit that sets a cleaning mode. The expansion mechanism is actuated via a movement of the movable carriage. The setting unit sets a first cleaning mode in which a first amount of fluid is vacuumed from the nozzle or a second cleaning mode in which a second amount of fluid is vacuumed from the nozzle that is less than the first amount. The cleaning mode is selected in response to the amount of fluid remaining in the main tank.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2009Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Susumu Taga
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Patent number: 8305029Abstract: A fan drive apparatus includes a first fan, a second fan configured to form an air flow space, which has an intake side and an exhaust side, in cooperation with the first fan, a first drive circuit and a second drive circuit configured to output drive voltages to drive the first fan and the second fan respectively, a current detection unit configured to detect a drive current for the second drive circuit when the first fan and the second fan are driven, and a control unit configured to control the second drive circuit to change the drive voltage applied to the second fan, and determine a drive voltage so that a variation amount of the drive current detected by the current detection unit with respect to a change of the drive voltage is equal to or less than a predetermined value.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2009Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Toshifumi Kakutani
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Patent number: 8287066Abstract: This invention pertains to a drop-on-demand ink jet printing method, more particularly to a method of printing wherein a purge image is logically combined with a selected image so as to insure a desired amount of drop firing from every jet of an ink jet printhead for every page printed. The inventive method avoids image defects that could otherwise occur as a result of faulty drop firing from infrequently used nozzles. Purge image data that specifies the deposition of at least one ink dot on at least one predetermined pixel location on each of the plurality of image scanlines is constructed and stored in a purge image memory accessible by the printing apparatus. Imperceptible purge image patterns are constructed having blue noise spatial frequency characteristics and optical density levels equal to or less than 0.01 OD above print medium base OD. A plurality of purge image data sets are constructed and stored for retrieval to adapt to a variety of conditions.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2008Date of Patent: October 16, 2012Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and CompanyInventors: Christian Jackson, Stephen F. Pond
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Patent number: 8282188Abstract: The inkjet head cleaning apparatus includes: a cleaning liquid holding device having a cleaning liquid holding surface with which cleaning liquid is held and applied to a liquid ejection surface of an inkjet head in which the liquid ejection surface is oblique to a horizontal plane, the cleaning liquid holding surface being arranged with an inclination such that the cleaning liquid holding surface is substantially parallel with the liquid ejection surface of the inkjet head and faces the liquid ejection surface at a prescribed distance from the liquid ejection surface; and a cleaning liquid supply device which has a cleaning liquid supply port through which the cleaning liquid is supplied from an upper portion of the inclined cleaning liquid holding surface in such a manner that the cleaning liquid slides down the inclined cleaning liquid holding surface while forming a meniscus between the cleaning liquid holding surface and the liquid ejection surface.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2010Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventor: Noriaki Maida
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Publication number: 20120249674Abstract: A method of maintaining a fluid applicator unit of an image forming apparatus in which the fluid applicator unit includes a nozzle surface having nozzles is disclosed. The method includes ejecting fluid through nozzles of a fluid applicator unit of an image forming apparatus during a maintenance mode to maintain flow paths therethrough such that the fluid is emitted from the nozzles in a form of fluid drops. The method also includes receiving the fluid drops emitted from the nozzles during the maintenance mode on a receiving member to form waste liquid therefrom and directing the waste liquid from the receiving member to a waste receiving unit through a liquid passage. The method also includes directing aerosol formed from the fluid drops emitted from the nozzles to the aerosol receiving unit through an aerosol passage such that the aerosol passage is separate from the liquid passage and receiving the aerosol directed to the aerosol receiving unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2011Publication date: October 4, 2012Inventors: Ainhoa Urbistondo, Marta Coma, Francesc Melia
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Patent number: 8277019Abstract: A printing apparatus comprises a jetting assembly including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting droplets on a substrate; an enclosure defining a print zone within which the jetting assembly prints on the substrate, the enclosure including an inlet for introducing a material associated with controlling an environment of the enclosure.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2008Date of Patent: October 2, 2012Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventors: Richard Baker, Edward R. Moynihan
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Publication number: 20120218347Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a conveyer configured to convey a recording medium along a conveying path in a conveying direction, an image forming unit configured to form an image on the recording medium being conveyed, a supporting member arranged in a position to face the image forming unit and configured to support the recording medium, and an aspirator configured to aspirate dust through an aspiration inlet, which is formed in a downstream position along the conveying direction with respect to the image forming unit and in proximity to a downstream end of the supporting member.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 28, 2012Publication date: August 30, 2012Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
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Patent number: 8246144Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus which enables printing with high print quality is provided. For that purpose, a pair of airflow guides are provided at intermediate positions between each adjacent two of the printing heads arrayed in a travelling direction of a carriage, the pair of the airflow guides respectively located right and left in a direction perpendicular to the travelling direction of the carriage.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2010Date of Patent: August 21, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ryoichi Katano, Masahiro Kobayashi, Yaado Sakata, Hiroyuki Maeda