Mist Or Dust Removal Patents (Class 347/34)
  • Patent number: 8622514
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8622515
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Norikazu Yanase, Makoto Kikura, Tsuguyori Kemma, Shingo Masaoka
  • Publication number: 20140002543
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kaoru KOIKE, Toshio KUMAGAI, Hiroki MATSUOKA
  • Patent number: 8596752
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Hirata, Kengo Takeda
  • Patent number: 8573736
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 8573737
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Sun Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Saeid Savarmand, Richard R. Durand, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8562104
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: John Christian Love, Jeffrey D. Lueschen, Paul Fishbein, Paul Seiter, Greg Williams
  • Patent number: 8556374
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Xavier Gros Gras, Xavier Gasso Puchal, Francesc Ros Cerro
  • Patent number: 8550591
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kaoru Koike, Toshio Kumagai, Hiroki Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 8544985
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gun Heo, Youn-gun Jung
  • Patent number: 8529018
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiki Takeuchi, Nobuhiro Toki, Haruo Uchida
  • Publication number: 20130229460
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Norihiro MASUDA
  • Publication number: 20130215194
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Napoleon J. Leoni, Omer Gila, Michael H. Lee, Henryk Birecki
  • Patent number: 8511808
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukuo Yamaguchi, Yutaka Koizumi, Mikiya Umeyama, Kiyomitsu Kudo, Masaru Iketani, Yuichiro Akama, Satoshi Kimura
  • Publication number: 20130187981
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andrew W. Hays, Terrance L Stephens
  • Patent number: 8480205
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kung-Huang Tsai
  • Patent number: 8459775
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Teruaki Kaieda, Shinichi Itaya
  • Patent number: 8444251
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Gun Heo, Karp-sik Youn, Young-su Lee, Youn-gun Jung
  • Patent number: 8439479
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Yamada, Kiyoteru Katsuki, Masaru Kobashi, Daisuke Matsumoto, Yasunori Koike
  • Patent number: 8430464
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yuki Togawa
  • Patent number: 8430477
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: SII Printek Inc.
    Inventors: Akifumi Sakata, Kazuyoshi Tominaga, Toshiaki Watanabe, Masatoshi Toda, Akihiro Sadaki
  • Patent number: 8425002
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masatoshi Izuchi
  • Patent number: 8419161
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: Brian Robert Brown, Vesa Karppinen, Kia Silverbrook
  • Publication number: 20130083121
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Inventors: Reiko HIGASHIKAWA, Hirofumi KONDO, Tomoyuki KUBO, Masayoshi HAYASHI, Masato SUEYASU, Toru YAMASHITA, Tatsuya NISHIKAWA, Yasuhiro KATO, Shuhei HIWADA
  • Publication number: 20130083124
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Inventors: Takahiro ARIMA, Akira MIYAO
  • Patent number: 8408672
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Novartis AG
    Inventors: Georg Cramm, Axel Heinrich, Stephan Pirl, Gabriela Cocora
  • Publication number: 20130070018
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Takafumi SASAKI
  • Patent number: 8388102
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Ainhoa Urbistondo, Marta Coma, Francesc Melia
  • Patent number: 8388103
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Kiuchi, Hiroyoshi Takano
  • Patent number: 8382242
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: 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
  • Patent number: 8382240
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoteru Katsuki, Yoichi Yamada, Masaru Kobashi, Daisuke Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8382243
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeffrey John Miller, Paul Justin Reichl, Samuel James Myers, Glenn David Horrocks, Aidan Patrick O'Mahony, Samuel George Mallinson
  • Patent number: 8376511
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiko Shimoda, Hiroshi Sugitani, Naoki Akihiro
  • Patent number: 8366239
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Eiji Tachibana
  • Patent number: 8360571
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 8360548
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: Kia Silverbrook, Norman Micheal Berry, Akira Nakazawa, Paul Ian Mackey, Garry Raymond Jackson
  • Patent number: 8356881
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 8353591
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Isowa
    Inventors: Hideyuki Isowa, Kazuhiro Hatasa, Shunji Kato
  • Patent number: 8353592
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: 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
  • Patent number: 8348364
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Susumu Taga
  • Patent number: 8342639
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8317295
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Kinpo Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi-Lin Lai, Tien-Yu Pan, Tuo-Jen Chen
  • Patent number: 8303061
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Susumu Taga
  • Patent number: 8305029
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshifumi Kakutani
  • Patent number: 8287066
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Christian Jackson, Stephen F. Pond
  • Patent number: 8282188
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Noriaki Maida
  • Publication number: 20120249674
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Inventors: Ainhoa Urbistondo, Marta Coma, Francesc Melia
  • Patent number: 8277019
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Baker, Edward R. Moynihan
  • Publication number: 20120218347
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihiro ITOGAWA
  • Patent number: 8246144
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryoichi Katano, Masahiro Kobayashi, Yaado Sakata, Hiroyuki Maeda