With Oscillatory Motion Patents (Class 347/39)
  • Patent number: 10664073
    Abstract: A touchpad (34) includes a plurality of first electrical conductors (24) and a plurality of second electrical conductors (28) that are disposed, in a plan view of the conductors (24, 28), in a crossing manner with the first conductors (24). A contact layer is disposed over the conductors (24, 28). When an object contacts the contact layer, a signal can be picked up from the conductors (24, 28), and the location of the contact on the contact layer can be determined from the signal. The contact layer includes a decorative layer (30) that forms a visually and/or haptically detectable decoration or on which a visually and/or haptically detectable decoration is applied. The decoration or the decorative layer and/or the electrical conductors (24, 28) is/are formed using an electronically-controllable droplet printing method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Inventor: Jörg R. Bauer
  • Patent number: 10500843
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that improves printing quality when printing with a plurality of nozzles. The ink jet recording apparatus performs printing control of a plurality of nozzles using an encoder pulse output from an encoder attached to a conveying line, and is characterized by comprising: an input unit with which a printing character width is separately set for each of the plurality of nozzles; and a control unit that controls printing using a character width corresponding to input information from the input unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroko Kurihara, Takashi Kawano
  • Patent number: 10399371
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to securing, with a simple structure, a head to a position in a carriage without having to fasten screws so as to prevent possible loss of a desired printing quality. A carriage is provided that includes a main housing mounted to a printing unit body, an eccentric cam rotatably disposed in the main housing, a sub housing that holds a head that ejects ink droplets. The sub housing makes contact with a cam face of the eccentric cam and is movable upward and downward relative to the main housing in response to rotation of the eccentric cam. The carriage further includes a rotation regulator that regulates rotation of the sub housing around a rotating shaft of the eccentric cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Katsutoshi Yamabe
  • Patent number: 10071577
    Abstract: A printer has a carriage being movable between a first end and a second end of a reciprocating path; and a driving force transmitting path selecting mechanism provided at the second end of the reciprocating path. The selecting mechanism has: a common driving force outputting member; a plurality of force receiving members; a selecting member; and a position retainer for keeping the position of the selecting member. The selecting member connects the force outputting member to one of the plurality of force receiving members, and moves in association with the carriage when the carriage moves in a vicinity of the second end in a first direction extending from the first end to the second end. The position retainer keeps the position of the selecting member when the carriage moves in a second direction extending from the second end to the first end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Koga, Masatoshi Izuchi
  • Patent number: 9493019
    Abstract: An image printing device and method of printing may include an image medium advancing device to advance an image medium in a first direction, an oscillating printhead to oscillate or move along a second direction defined by an angle not normal to the first direction, and a plurality of ink nozzles associated with the printhead to apply ink to the image medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Kevin T. Kersey
  • Patent number: 9139009
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head configured and arranged to discharge a liquid including a sedimentary substance, and a liquid supply path for supplying the liquid from a liquid tank where the liquid is retained to the head. The liquid supply path has differences in elevation of a predetermined length or more in a vertical direction. The liquid supply path has a portion formed into a stepped shape and an angle formed by a width portion and a height portion in the portion formed into the stepped shape is 45 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromichi Nakashima, Jun Shimazaki, Noritaka Mitsuo
  • Patent number: 9039127
    Abstract: A driver apparatus includes a drive unit to move a moveable unit along a given path using a drive force; a movement detector to detect movement of the moveable unit; a drive control unit to control the drive unit using a given output for a given time to drive the moveable unit; a determination unit to determine whether the movement detector detects a movement of the moveable unit for a given distance or more in a driving direction when the moveable unit is driven under a control of the drive control unit; and an abnormality detector to determine occurrence of abnormal when the determination unit determines that the moveable unit does not move the given distance or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Suguru Yokozawa
  • Patent number: 9004647
    Abstract: A system and method for depositing a substance onto a continuously moving substrate in first and second transverse swathes, is achieved by providing a print carriage having a first set of inkjet heads and a second set of inkjet heads. The carriage is traversed across the substrate in a forward pass, while depositing the first and second swathes from the respective first and second plurality of inkjet heads and subsequently traversed across the substrate in a reverse pass. The first and second sets of inkjet heads are arranged such that the first and second swathes complement one another on both forward and reverse passes to provide substantially complete coverage of the substrate. In this manner complementary swathes may be deposited from a single head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Xennia Holland B.V.
    Inventors: Alan Hudd, Gerrit Koele, Simon Bennet
  • Patent number: 8992104
    Abstract: Fiducials having substantially continuous portions made on a substrate allow the position of the substrate to be determined. An approach for making fiducials involves moving first and second fiducial devices together back and forth across the substrate along a trajectory having a component along the lateral axis of the substrate while the substrate and the first and second fiducial devices are in relative motion along the longitudinal axis of the substrate. The first fiducial device operates to make one fiducial on the substrate during the movement along the trajectory and the relative motion. The second fiducial device operates to make another fiducial on the substrate during the movement along the trajectory and the relative motion. The fiducials may be formed so that they have a constant spatial frequency with the first fiducial being out of phase with respect to the second fiducial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Daniel H. Carlson, Daniel J. Theis, Brian K. Nelson
  • Publication number: 20150085016
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a carriage configured to perform a reciprocating movement while facing a sheet, the carriage being equipped with an inkjet head, and a drying unit configured to apply energy from above the carriage to the sheet so as to dry ink, wherein, when the carriage performs the reciprocating movement, the carriage is reversed at a reversing position where the application of the energy to an end of the sheet or an end of an image formed on the sheet is not blocked by the carriage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventor: Takuya Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20150070414
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a guiding shaft as a guiding portion that extends in a main scanning direction, a carriage, which is provided with a recording head that ejects ink, and which moves in the main scanning direction by sliding along the guiding shaft, and pressing units, which is provided in the carriage, and which presses the guiding shaft in a sub-scanning direction, and a sliding resistance is changed using the pressing units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventor: Takayuki SHIOTA
  • Patent number: 8950848
    Abstract: A printing apparatus that performs printing on a printing medium, comprising an ejecting unit that reciprocates in a main scanning direction which is a width direction of the printing medium, ejecting a liquid onto the printing medium when moving at least in a forward direction of the main scanning direction; and a control unit that controls an operation of the printing apparatus, wherein in one movement of the ejecting unit in the forward direction, the control unit includes a specific operation mode which causes the ejecting unit to move to a predetermined distance in addition to a width of an image when the width of the image to be printed on the printing medium is less than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Tamai
  • Patent number: 8944563
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes an ejecting head that ejects fluid onto a recording medium, and a head moving portion that makes the ejecting head reciprocate in a first direction. In the recording apparatus, the head moving portion includes a guide shaft which is arranged along the first direction, a first carriage which is supported on the guide shaft, and moves in the first direction along the guide shaft, and a second carriage which is provided integrally with the ejecting head, is provided so as to be movable in a second direction in which a distance between the ejecting head and the recording medium is changed between the first carriage and the second carriage, and is positioned in a state where a part of the second carriage is abutted against the guide shaft such that inclination of the ejecting head with respect to the first direction is restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Ryota Takayanagi
  • Patent number: 8939527
    Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus can suppress vibrations to a low level without local concentration of abrasion between a carriage and a guide shaft. The ink jet printing apparatus makes the carriage reciprocate along the guide shaft without ejecting ink, thus achieving a stirring operation in which the ink stored in an ink tank is stirred. At least one of a limited range in one direction, in which the stirring operation is performed, and a portion of the guide shaft that contacts the carriage when viewed from the one direction, is changeable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shimpei Shinohara, Takeshi Sekino
  • Patent number: 8939546
    Abstract: A method includes moving an assembly of printheads with a bidirectional lateral motion. A direction of the lateral motion is substantially perpendicular to, and the lateral motion is concurrent with, a longitudinal motion of a substrate relative to the printhead assembly. Nozzles of the printheads are arranged in two rows that are oriented substantially parallel to the direction of the lateral motion. The longitudinal motion and the lateral motion are coordinated such that a nozzle in one of the rows and a nozzle in the other of the rows trace a common path on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Industrial Printing Ltd.
    Inventor: Alex Veis
  • Publication number: 20140292927
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a carriage that is movable in a reciprocating manner with a recording head being mounted on the carriage, a tube that is capable of supplying ink to the recording head in a curved state and is capable of being deformed in curvature in response to a reciprocating motion of the carriage, an arm that is swingably movable about a swing shaft which extends in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the curved tube and is capable of supporting the tube, and a connecting section that has a holding section which holds the tube and is configured to support the tube by the arm, wherein the connecting section is movable relative to the arm in response to the reciprocating motion of the carriage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke TANAKA, Minoru KISHIGAMI, Shota MIZUNO
  • Patent number: 8801145
    Abstract: A record image recording apparatus includes a carriage provided with a recording head and reciprocating in a main scanning directions; a lever member having a lever arm protruding into a moving space of the carriage; a switch member contactable with the lever member; and a guide member guiding the lever arm. When the lever member is guided by the guide member in one direction perpendicular to the main scanning directions, the lever member is switched to be applied with a force in the one direction owing to the switch member. When the lever member is guided by guide member in an opposite direction relative to the one direction, the lever member is switched to be applied with the force in the opposite direction owing to the switch member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Wakakusa
  • Publication number: 20140015881
    Abstract: A method includes moving an assembly of printheads with a bidirectional lateral motion. A direction of the lateral motion is substantially perpendicular to, and the lateral motion is concurrent with, a longitudinal motion of a substrate relative to the printhead assembly. Nozzles of the printheads are arranged in two rows that are oriented substantially parallel to the direction of the lateral motion. The longitudinal motion and the lateral motion are coordinated such that a nozzle in one of the rows and a nozzle in the other of the rows trace a common path on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Inventor: Alex VEIS
  • Patent number: 8596737
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus including a carriage carrying a recording head for ejecting ink droplets, a support portion for supporting the carriage such that the carriage is reciprocally movable in a predetermined direction, a power transmission mechanism for transmitting a drive force from a drive power source to the carriage, and a vibration damping device disposed on the support portion, and wherein the vibration damping device has mutually different resonance frequency values at respective at least two different positions in the predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Komoto, Isao Fukuchi
  • Publication number: 20130278676
    Abstract: A printer device which can, using a relatively simple structure, remove foreign matter within a printer head. A printer device (10) is provided with: a guide rail disposed so as to extend in the scan direction; a printer head (22) provided to the guide rail so as to be reciprocatable in the scan direction and discharging ink from a discharge nozzle (25a) by changing, utilizing the vibration of a piezo element (24), the volume of an ink chamber (24a) communicating with the discharge nozzle (25a); and a controller performs control for vibrating the piezo element (24) and maintains the printer head (22) by causing the ink to be discharged utilizing the vibration of the piezo element (24).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventor: Hirofumi HARA
  • Publication number: 20130278675
    Abstract: A printing apparatus that performs printing on a printing medium, comprising an ejecting unit that reciprocates in a main scanning direction which is a width direction of the printing medium, ejecting a liquid onto the printing medium when moving at least in a forward direction of the main scanning direction; and a control unit that controls an operation of the printing apparatus, wherein in one movement of the ejecting unit in the forward direction, the control unit includes a specific operation mode which causes the ejecting unit to move to a predetermined distance in addition to a width of an image when the width of the image to be printed on the printing medium is less than a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi TAMAI
  • Patent number: 8550594
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a medium by discharging liquid from a discharge head, wherein a carriage on which the discharge head is mounted is made to be able to reciprocate, and in a case where agitation of liquid is required, control is performed such that operation areas of a plurality of places set within a movable range of the carriage are changed over and the carriage then reciprocates within the operation area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Murahashi, Kazuya Yoshikaie
  • Publication number: 20130257987
    Abstract: A record image recording apparatus includes a carriage provided with a recording head and reciprocating in a main scanning directions; a lever member having a lever arm protruding into a moving space of the carriage; a switch member contactable with the lever member; and a guide member guiding the lever arm. When the lever member is guided by the guide member in one direction perpendicular to the main scanning directions, the lever member is switched to be applied with a force in the one direction owing to the switch member. When the lever member is guided by guide member in an opposite direction relative to the one direction, the lever member is switched to be applied with the force in the opposite direction owing to the switch member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keisuke WAKAKUSA
  • Patent number: 8544986
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a carriage movable in a main scanning direction and including a recording head having a nozzle surface in which nozzles to eject liquid droplets in a horizontal direction are formed, the nozzle surface being disposed in a vertical direction; a guide shaft to guide the carriage in the main scanning direction; and a bearing provided to the carriage and having two sloped sides slidably contacting an outer circumferential surface of the guide shaft. In a plane perpendicular to an axis of the guide shaft, the two sloped sides are disposed such that a line passing through both the axis of the guide shaft and an intersection of two tangent lines from contact portions in which the two sloped sides contact the outer circumferential surface of the guide shaft diagonally intersects a line extending along a plane of the nozzle surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Tanaka, Yoichi Ito, Mitsuya Matsubara
  • Patent number: 8537652
    Abstract: An optical recording/reproducing apparatus having a label printer for printing labels on an optical disk and a method for printing labels on an optical disk. The optical recording/reproducing apparatus includes an optical disk drive unit recording and reproducing information on a recording surface of an optical disk, a label printer module printing labels on a label surface of the optical disk using thermal transfer, and a controller controlling a label printing operation of the optical disk drive unit and the label printer module, wherein the label printer module includes a ribbon cartridge in which a thermal transfer ribbon to which dyes are attached is wound and which is disposed to face the label surface of the optical disk mounted in the optical disk drive unit, and a thermal printhead transferring the dyes attached to the thermal transfer ribbon onto the label surface of the optical disk using thermal transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Korea Corporation
    Inventors: Won-Ik Cho, Ki-won Yoon, Young-won Lee
  • Publication number: 20130230701
    Abstract: Disclosed is an actinic radiation-curing type ink set comprising a colored ink composition and a clear ink composition (C1), the colored ink composition comprising (Component A1) a radically polymerizable compound, (Component B1) a polymerization initiator, and (Component D) a colorant, and the clear ink composition (C1) comprising (Component A2) a radically polymerizable compound, (Component B2) a polymerization initiator, and (Component S) an organic solvent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kyohei MOCHIZUKI
  • Patent number: 8393710
    Abstract: The printing device is ink jet, parallel or serial-parallel type and comprises a plurality of ejection modules each of which with ejection chambers suitable for containing ink and with associated relative heating elements for ink ejection control. The device includes a support and a nozzle plate common to the modules, and in which the support includes a base plate of rigid material that defines through its thickness a feeding duct for the ink which, in use, is substantially parallel to the line of printing (X axis) and the ejection modules are fixed side by side on the base plate and with the ejection chambers arranged in a line in the same direction (X axis), is a hydraulic, tight connection with the feeding duct. The nozzle plate is fixed on the ejection modules constituting an upper, hydraulically tight, closing surface, for the chambers and comprises a plurality of ejection nozzles in a line, in turn in hydraulic connection with corresponding cells of the modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
    Inventors: Renato Conta, Enrico Manini
  • Publication number: 20130057615
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid onto a target; a carriage that is moved to scan in a direction perpendicular to a transportation direction of the target with the liquid ejecting head being mounted on the carriage; a fan that blows gas toward a scanning area of the carriage; and a partition member that is positioned so as to separate the scanning area of the carriage from the fan and block the gas blown from the fan toward the scanning area of the carriage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhide TORIGOE, Hiroshi MIYAZAWA, Takayuki IIJIMA
  • Patent number: 8349409
    Abstract: A liquid droplet of a first liquid and a liquid droplet of a second liquid are mixed upon landing on a substrate, and then the reaction is initiated between the first and second liquid droplets. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the problem which would have been caused when the two liquids are mixed in advance before the usage that the reaction between the two liquids is advanced before the liquids are actually coated. Further, since the ink-jet system is employed, it is possible to precisely control the liquid-droplet amount and the landing position, thereby landing the first and second liquids on a same position with high precision. Accordingly, a highly integrated pattern can be formed. Furthermore, since the mixing ratio of the first and second liquids can be precisely controlled, the film quality can be stabilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanori Tsuruko
  • Patent number: 8342645
    Abstract: A printing apparatus prints on a printing medium by scanning a printhead having a plurality of nozzle arrays in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, and has a structure in which an air flow entering the nozzle array in the scan of the printhead in the first direction becomes larger than an air flow entering the nozzle array in the scan of the printhead in the second direction. The apparatus increases, in scanning in the second direction, discharge speed of ink discharged from at least one nozzle array arranged leeward in the scanning direction of the printhead from a predetermined position on the printhead in the scanning direction to be higher than or equal to the discharge speed of ink discharged from at least one nozzle array arranged windward in the scanning direction of the printhead from the predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiji Tomizawa, Masaki Oikawa, Masayuki Kyoshima
  • Publication number: 20120314003
    Abstract: An image printing device and method of printing may include an image medium advancing device to advance an image medium in a first direction, an oscillating printhead to oscillate or move along a second direction defined by an angle not normal to the first direction, and a plurality of ink nozzles associated with the printhead to apply ink to the image medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Inventor: Kevin T. KERSEY
  • Publication number: 20120306967
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a head holder, a carriage, a guide member, a reference member, an intermediate member, and an adjuster. The recording head has a plurality of nozzles to eject liquid droplets. The head holder holds the recording head. The carriage is reciprocally movable in a main scanning direction and holds the head holder. The guide member is disposed along the main scanning direction to guide the carriage along the main scanning direction. The reference member is disposed parallel to the guide member in the carriage to hold the head holder. The intermediate member is displaceably disposed between the head holder and the carriage and held by the carriage. The adjuster adjusts a position of the head holder by displacing the intermediate member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji SHIMIZU, Takayuki Niihara, Shinichiro Naruse
  • Patent number: 8317297
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided, the ink-jet recording apparatus including an ink-jet head, a first carriage on which the ink-jet head is carried, a guide member, a moving mechanism which moves the first carriage along the guide member, a transport mechanism which transports a medium along a transport surface, and a second carriage which is reciprocatively movable while following movement of the first carriage and which is constructed relatively movably in a direction perpendicular to the transport surface with respect to the first carriage. The second carriage has a protective member which protects a jetting surface from the medium and a regulating member which regulates movement of the second carriage in relation to a third direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kohei Terada
  • Patent number: 8303081
    Abstract: A backbone for a printer is formed from a single piece of material. The single piece of material includes an integrated carriage rod. When a carriage assembly is mounted on the integrated carriage rod, the carriage assembly is enabled to slide across the integrated carriage rod into position for printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Li Wan Lim, Sok Hwang Chew, Hong Ghee Tan, Kheng Bee Ong
  • Patent number: 8197028
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus according to a first aspect of the invention includes a liquid discharging head configured to discharge liquid from nozzles in a discharged material transported in a first direction; a carriage configured to mount the liquid discharging head and reciprocate in a second direction which intersects the first direction; and a carriage moving unit configured to reciprocate the carriage, and the carriage moving unit includes a first drive unit and a second drive unit operating independently from each other, and a first supporting portion of the first drive unit with respect to the carriage and a second supporting portion of the second driving unit with respect to the carriage are located at positions displaced in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Satoshi Nakata
  • Patent number: 8167413
    Abstract: In order to recover unevenness in concentration of ink ejected from a print head, an agitation operation of agitating ink by causing the print head to reciprocate is carried out. This agitation operation sets a number of times of moving the print head for agitation according to a condition, such as a printing mode, for a reciprocating motion in a main scanning direction of the print head in printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Ito
  • Patent number: 8141972
    Abstract: This invention is directed to provide a printing apparatus and a printing control method capable of more accurately obtaining a carriage position and executing more precise printing. The printing apparatus includes a scale, having slits at predetermined intervals, provided along the carriage scanning direction, and an encoder provided on a carriage to read the slits and measure the carriage position in the scanning direction as the carriage moves. In the printing apparatus, based on at least a time interval between the measurement time of a slit currently detected by the encoder and the measurement time of a slit immediately before the slit, a time up to at least one point between the currently detected slit and the next slit is predicted. Control is performed to cause a printhead mounted on the carriage to execute printing at the at least one predicted point between the continuous slits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shingo Tatsumi
  • Publication number: 20120062649
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a carriage, an image forming unit, a driving pulley, a driven pulley, a driving source, an open-ended carriage drawing member, and a mount. The drawing member is extended between the pulleys and having end portions mounted to the carriage. Each end portion has a surface including an indented area. The mount is disposed on the carriage and having first engagement portions and second engagement portions. Each first engagement portion has at least one indented area to engage the indented area of the drawing member. Each second engagement portion is connected to a corresponding first engagement portion in an orientation to be folded back relative to the corresponding first engagement portion. The end portions are mounted to the mount in a state in which the surface having the indented area is directed to a portion folded back along a corresponding second engagement portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Shinichiro NARUSE, Takayuki Niihara, Soichi Saiga, Kenji Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20120056936
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a carriage movably supported to move reciprocally in a main scanning direction, an image forming unit mounted on the carriage to form an image, a driving pulley disposed at a first end in the main scanning direction, a driven pulley disposed at a second end opposite the first end in the main scanning direction, a driving source operatively connected to the driving pulley to rotate the driving pulley, a carriage drawing member extended between the driving pulley and the driven pulley and partially mounted to the carriage to draw the carriage, a mount disposed on the carriage to mount the carriage drawing member, a holder disposed on the carriage to hook the carriage drawing member extended from the mount during assembly, and a guide member to guide the carriage drawing member extended from the mount and the holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji SHIMIZU, Takayuki Nihara, Shinichiro Naruse, Soichi Saiga
  • Patent number: 8100492
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head disposed on a transport path of a target to eject liquid from nozzles at a nozzle forming surface, a target transport unit transporting the target on the basis of a driving force of a first driving source such that the target passes through a position opposite the nozzle forming surface on the transport path, a liquid receptor transport unit transporting a liquid receptor for receiving the liquid ejected from the nozzles as a waste liquid on the basis of a driving force of a second driving source such that the liquid receptor passes through the position opposite the nozzle forming surface on the transport path, and a control unit controlling a driving state of the second driving source in order to change a transport velocity of the liquid receptor by the liquid receptor transport unit while the liquid receptor is transported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masato Mitsuhashi, Makoto Kawamoto, Koji Higuchi
  • Patent number: 8085647
    Abstract: An optical recording/reproducing apparatus having a label printer for printing labels on an optical disk and a method for printing labels on an optical disk. The optical recording/reproducing apparatus includes an optical disk drive unit recording and reproducing information on a recording surface of an optical disk, a label printer module printing labels on a label surface of the optical disk using thermal transfer, and a controller controlling a label printing operation of the optical disk drive unit and the label printer module, wherein the label printer module includes a ribbon cartridge in which a thermal transfer ribbon to which dyes are attached is wound and which is disposed to face the label surface of the optical disk mounted in the optical disk drive unit, and a thermal printhead transferring the dyes attached to the thermal transfer ribbon onto the label surface of the optical disk using thermal transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Korea Corporation
    Inventors: Won-ik Cho, Ki-won Yoon, Young-won Lee
  • Patent number: 8007073
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes two liquid discharge heads, a wiper unit, and an actuating mechanism. Each of the two liquid discharge heads has a nozzle face on which at least one nozzle opening for discharging liquid is formed. The two liquid discharge heads are located so that the nozzle faces of the two liquid discharge heads face each other. The wiper unit is pressed against each of the nozzle faces of the two liquid discharge heads at a position at which the wiper unit is placed between the nozzle faces of the two liquid discharge heads. The actuating mechanism reciprocally moves the wiper unit relatively along the nozzle faces of the two liquid discharge heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Murayama
  • Patent number: 7931348
    Abstract: In an inkjet printing apparatus, uneven density is reduced while suppressing a landing position deviation caused by a difference of head-to-medium distances in a printing medium conveying direction. Specifically, predetermined patterns for detecting a difference of the head-to-medium distances are printed. Reading of the patterns is performed and then a detection of a difference between the head-to-medium distances is performed based on the reading result. Then, adjustment of the head-to-medium distance is performed based on the difference between the head-to-medium distances detected. Specifically, the respective head-to-medium distances at the upstream side ejection port and the downstream side ejection port are made equal by changing an attitude of the print head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha.
    Inventor: Akira Kida
  • Patent number: 7931414
    Abstract: A printing apparatus and method can control vibration generated resulting from the movement of a carriage to be small even when a desired printing pattern, etc., may change. The carriage is moved based on a plurality of drive conditions, each specifying a different moving distance of the carriage, and a drive condition by which vibration generated at that time becomes not larger than a predetermined magnitude is set as a drive condition of the carriage when printing an image on a printing medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Seiji Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7914112
    Abstract: The invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs printing by scanning a carriage that has a print head in a main scan direction. The printing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a carriage motor that drives the carriage; a control unit that controls the driving of the carriage motor; a memory unit that stores a plurality of patterns of velocity data regarding at least either one of scanning speeds of the carriage after start of the scanning and driving speeds of the carriage motor corresponding to the scanning speeds of the carriage; and a driving mode switchover unit that switches over the patterns of the velocity data, wherein the control unit controls the driving of the carriage motor in such a manner that the carriage is scanned on the basis of the velocity data selected by the driving mode switchover unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Hayashi, Tetsuji Takeishi
  • Patent number: 7779711
    Abstract: A drive force transmission device that causes a plurality of driven members to operate in different operational areas for different operational purposes includes a lead screw and at least one movable member. The lead screw has a threaded portion formed on an outer circumferential surface of the lead screw. The lead screw is rotated about the axis of the lead screw when a drive force is generated. The at least one movable member has an engagement portion that is arranged to engage with the threaded portion of the lead screw. The movable member is moved along the axial direction of the lead screw through the engagement portion guided by the threaded portion when the lead screw rotates. While moving, the movable member associates with the driven members in a state in which the drive force is transmissible from the lead screw to the driven members and operates each of the driven members by the drive force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Yoshida, Taisuke Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20100110120
    Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes a head having a nozzle which jets a liquid; a drive mechanism which reciprocately moves the head in a vertical direction to move the nozzle in the vertical direction; a nozzle protective member which is arranged in a moving area for the head and which protects the nozzle of the head; a controller which controls the drive mechanism to stop the head at a standby position which faces the nozzle protective member; a liquid container which contains the liquid; and a liquid tube which supplies the liquid to the head, and the liquid container is arranged such that, when the liquid container is filled with the liquid at a maximum capacity thereof, a liquid level of the liquid in the liquid container is same as or lower than a lowermost point of the nozzle in the head stopped at the standby position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: Shingo Hattori, Yoshitsugu Morita, Narumi Kawai, Hiroto Sugahara
  • Patent number: 7695100
    Abstract: An image device includes a movable member, a guide shaft, and a shaft bearing. The movable member moves back and forth inside the device along a guide shaft when reading or recording image information. The guide shaft includes an arc portion in at least part of a cross-section. The shaft bearing is penetrated by the guide shaft at two locations in the movement direction that differ from the center of gravity in the movable member. The shaft bearing includes two inclined faces contacted by the arc portion of the guide shaft in the cross-section. The respective two inclined faces of the shaft bearing are at an angle ?f (rad) and an angle ?r (rad) with the perpendicular direction. The angle ?f (rad) and the angle ?r (rad) satisfy the following inequality: cos {?/2?(?f+?r)}>0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kengo Matsuyama, Masanori Yamada, Haruo Sayama, Ryousuke Sugiyama
  • Publication number: 20100073423
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid onto a liquid ejection surface of an ejection target member; a scanning unit which scans the liquid ejecting head relative to the ejection target member; a driving force transmission mechanism which transmits driving force of a rotary driving force source to the scanning unit through a belt; an encoder which detects a scanning position of the liquid ejecting head relative to the ejection target member and having a scale disposed at a position adjacent to the belt; and a neutralizing unit which removes static electricity from the belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi NAKATA, Hitoshi IGARASHI, Yosuke NAKANO
  • Publication number: 20100053263
    Abstract: A droplet discharge drawing apparatus of the present invention includes: an ink discharging section for discharging droplets to a plurality of targets of discharge present on a target recording material; a gantry sliding mechanism for relatively moving the ink discharging section with respect to the recording medium; and a pre-oscillation section for causing pre-oscillation of the droplet discharging section. The droplet discharge drawing apparatus further includes a control section supplying, to the pre-oscillation section, a pre-oscillation signal for causing the pre-oscillation of the ink discharging section so that the pre-oscillation is carried out before discharge of a droplet and within a time in which the displacement section moves the droplet discharging section relatively with respect to the target recording material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Chiyoshi Yoshioka, Toshihiro Tamura