Of Ejector Patents (Class 347/9)
  • Patent number: 8833885
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus records an image on a recording material by ejecting a first ink composition through at least one first liquid ejecting nozzle having an open end. The ink jet recording apparatus also includes a platen having a surface on which the recording medium is placed. The surface is away from the open end at a distance PG satisfying the relationship 0.5 mm<PG<2.5 mm. The first ink composition that has been ejected through the first liquid ejecting nozzle is split into a main droplet having a flying velocity Vm and at least one satellite droplet including a satellite droplet having a flying velocity Vs. The flying velocities Vm and Vs satisfy the relationship Vm?Vs<3 m/s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Muto, Masanao Sato, Ryoichi Tanaka, Satoshi Kimura
  • Patent number: 8833883
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a signal processing circuit which operates with a first voltage, and generates a discharge control signal, a liquid driving circuit including an electrothermal transducer, a driving element which drives the electrothermal transducer, and a control circuit which receives the discharge control signal and outputs, to the driving element, a driving signal having a second voltage higher than the first voltage, and a monitoring circuit which monitors the first voltage and outputs a stop signal upon a drop of the first voltage. The control circuit stops driving the electrothermal transducer by the driving element in accordance with the stop signal. The monitoring circuit includes a transistor including a drain connected to power supply voltage node through a step-down circuit, a source connected to ground side, and a gate receiving the first voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanobu Oomura
  • Patent number: 8833889
    Abstract: An element substrate, comprising a first resistance element and second resistance element each of which includes a first terminal and a second terminal and is arranged in a predetermined direction, wherein the first terminals are connected to a first line for commonly supplying a current, and the second terminals are connected to a second line for commonly supplying a current, and a detection unit configured to detect a voltage of the first terminal of the first resistance element and a voltage of the first terminal of the second resistance element while power is supplied to the first resistance element and is not supplied to the second resistance element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideo Kanno, Nobuyuki Hirayama
  • Patent number: 8833887
    Abstract: A control device includes an execution unit, a determining unit, and a setting unit. The execution unit controls a printing unit to execute a multi-pass printing for a predetermined partial area of printing medium by executing sub scans and a prescribed number of times of main scans. In the main scan, a print head of the printing unit forms dots on the recording medium while being conveyed in a main scanning direction. In the sub-scan, the printing medium is conveyed in a sub-scanning direction. The determining unit determines an acceptable range based on an actual conveyance error in the sub-scanning direction. The setting unit sets the prescribed number to N when a representative value of predetermined partial area falls in the acceptable range, and sets the prescribed number to M being an integer greater than N when the representative value does not fall in the acceptable range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shintaro Izoe
  • Patent number: 8833886
    Abstract: A pretreatment method for a printing material is performed prior to ink jet textile printing on the printing material and includes the steps of imparting a tension force to at least a printing area of the printing material on which ink jet textile printing is performed so as to put the printing area in a tensioned state, and applying a pretreatment agent having an ink permeation inhibiting property on the printing area in the tensioned state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Kanaya, Shinichi Kamoshida, Takuya Fujita
  • Patent number: 8833888
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus capable of simplifying cables for transmitting a recording signal to a plurality of inkjet heads. The inkjet recording device has a plurality of head units 10 including: a plurality of inkjet heads 200; drive circuits 201 being provided corresponding to each of the ink jet heads 200 and drive-controlling inkjet operations; a power supply circuit 310 supplying a voltage required to discharge ink to the drive circuit 201; a recording control circuit 300 controlling the drive circuit 201 and the power supply circuit 310 based on recording control data; and a transmitting and receiving circuit 330 acquiring the recording control data via a network based on address data and transmitting the data to the recording control circuit 300, to thereby perform recording operations based on the recording control data transmitted to the head unit 10 through the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Seiren Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Norihisa Teranishi
  • Publication number: 20140253617
    Abstract: Provided herein a device for discharging ink, the device comprising: a nozzle body comprising a chamber for accommodating ink, and a nozzle for discharging the ink to one surface of a target object; an electrode portion attached to or distanced from the nozzle body; a signal generator for applying a voltage to the electrode portion so that electrons may be induced to a liquid surface of the ink and an electrostatic force may be formed, the voltage being lower than a predetermined discharge critical voltage; a nozzle body driver for moving the nozzle body; and a controller for controlling the nozzle body driver to adjust a distance between the nozzle and the one surface of the target object so that an electrostatic force corresponding to the voltage higher than the discharge critical voltage may be formed and thus the ink may be discharged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2012
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Inventor: Su Jung Kim
  • Patent number: 8827437
    Abstract: A printing method includes preprocessing a substrate by irradiating the substrate in a heated state with an activation light beam, and printing, after the preprocessing, a predetermined pattern on the substrate by ejecting a droplet to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Yokozawa, Masahiro Ido
  • Patent number: 8827398
    Abstract: An image recording device includes: a support member for supporting a sheet-shaped print medium; a print head that moves between a print position, at which printing of an image onto the print medium is executed, and a retracted position, farther away from the support member than the print position, while also facing the support member, with the print medium interposed therebetween; a tension adjustment unit for adjusting the tension of the print medium being supported by the support member; and a control unit whereby printing is executed by the print head having been positioned at the print position while the tension of the print medium is adjusted to a print tension by the tension adjustment unit, whereas the print head is positioned at the retracted position when the tension of the print medium is being altered by the tension adjustment unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Oba, Yujiro Nomura, Kaneo Yoda
  • Patent number: 8827413
    Abstract: A recording apparatus or a method for recording a pattern according to the present invention can record patterns for adjusting a recording position deviation between a forward direction and a backward direction of a scanning direction at a position in the scanning direction through which both of a first recording medium and a second recording medium smaller than the first recording medium in the scanning direction pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidehiko Kanda, Wakako Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8827419
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention has been made to prevent an ink discharge failure or ink mixing caused by preliminary discharge executed with the ink discharge surface of a printhead capped. In the embodiment, to an inkjet printhead in which nozzle arrays are aligned in a direction different from that in which a plurality of nozzles are aligned the following preliminary discharge processing is executed. A cap including a suction port and an air communication port caps the ink discharge surface. After that, a suction recovery unit is driven, thereby performing preliminary discharge for nozzles, among the nozzles of the nozzle arrays, with a long distance to a straight line connecting the suction port with the air communication port before preliminary discharge for nozzles with a short distance to the straight line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Yuji Konno, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Patent number: 8827397
    Abstract: A web press, in particular a variable format book web press, variable format newspaper web press, or variable format periodical web press, has printing units having printing devices or groups of printing devices for applying ink to a paper web. The printing devices or groups of printing devices are constructed without rotating impression cylinders and are designed to apply ink to the paper web in a noncontacting manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: manroland web systems GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Knauer
  • Patent number: 8827402
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a recording head including first and second head modules, each of the first and second head modules having recording elements arranged to perform a recording operation onto a recording medium, the first head module being arranged in a first orientation on the recording head, the second head module being arranged in a second orientation on the recording head, the second orientation being rotated from the first orientation; a signal processing device configured to select, from print data for one page, print data to be used in one recording operation respectively for the recording elements, and to arrange the selected print data in a prescribed recording element sequence for each of the first and second head modules regardless of the first and second orientations; and a data transfer device configured to transfer the arranged print data for each of the first and second head modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yuta Sumiyoshi
  • Patent number: 8827399
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an inkjet recording apparatus includes a head body, electrodes, a nozzle plate and a control section. The control section is electrically connected to the electrodes and applies an ejection pulse or a non-ejection pulse to the electrodes. The ejection pulse includes a first voltage change process for increasing the volume of a pressure chamber and a second voltage change process for reducing the volume of the pressure chamber, has width equal to or larger than 0.95 times and equal to or smaller than 1.05 times of a pressure propagation time in the pressure chamber, and ejects the ink from a nozzle. The non-ejection pulse has width equal to or larger than 0.2 times and equal to or smaller than 0.34 times of the width of the ejection pulse and stops the ink in the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20140247299
    Abstract: A board for a printhead mountable on a printing apparatus includes three terminals used for connection to the printing apparatus, a printing element, a driving circuit connected to the first terminal, an inspection circuit connected between the first terminal and the second terminal, and a resistance element connected between the second terminal and the third terminal. When an inspection signal is supplied from the printing apparatus to the first terminal, the inspection circuit outputs an output signal according to the inspection signal. When a control signal for performing printing is supplied from the printing apparatus to the first terminal, the driving circuit drives the printing element according to the control signal, and the inspection circuit sets the inspection circuit and the second terminal in an open state with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kameyama, Masanobu Ohmura
  • Publication number: 20140247298
    Abstract: A printing apparatus in which printing is performed using an ink jet method includes a first ink jet head that discharges ink droplets of ink of a first color which is a color of the same color type as an expression color that is set in advance, a second ink jet head that discharges ink droplets of ink of a second color which is a color of the same color type as the expression color and is different from the first color, and a control unit which makes the first and the second ink jet head perform printing with the expression color on a medium by setting a ratio of a discharge amount of ink of the first color by the first ink jet head to a discharge amount of ink of the second color by the second ink jet head to a discharge rate which is calculated in advance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: ISAO TABAYASHI
  • Patent number: 8820871
    Abstract: A valve jet printer includes a solenoid coil and a plunger rod having a magnetically susceptible shank. A first end of the shank and at least a portion of the shank are received within a bore of the solenoid coil. The printer also includes a nozzle including an orifice extending therethrough and a spring biasing a second end of the shank toward the nozzle. The second end of the plunger rod includes a tip formed of perfluoroelastomer (FFKM). The second end of the shank includes a cup-shaped cavity having a convex bottom and a circular side. The tip includes a concave base and an annular flange. In an assembled state, the concave base of the tip contacts the convex bottom of the cup-shaped cavity, and the end of the circular side opposite the convex bottom is rolled over the annular flange thereby securing the tip in the cup-shaped cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Matthews Resources, Inc.
    Inventors: Hans Elon Wallsten, Nils Johan Fredrik Käck
  • Patent number: 8820867
    Abstract: A control circuit for a light emitting diode for indicating power-on in a normal operating mode, power-on in a sleep mode, and power-off, the control circuit includes: a first voltage source having a DC voltage that is greater than a nominal forward voltage drop of the light emitting diode, the first voltage source connected to a first resistor in series with an anode of the light emitting diode; a second voltage source having a DC voltage that is greater than the DC voltage of the first voltage source; a first transistor connected between a cathode of the light emitting diode and ground; a control signal connected to an input of the first transistor; a second transistor connected between the first voltage source and the second voltage source, wherein an output of the first transistor is connected to an input of the second transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Pan Honglin
  • Patent number: 8820876
    Abstract: There are provided a printing apparatus and an inspection method which can reduce a position deviation of an inspection pattern upon reading the inspection pattern to perform an accurate inspection. A sheet conveyance misalignment in a continuous sheet is corrected in a corrective unit. The inspection pattern is printed on the corrected sheet by a print head of an inkjet type, and the sheet on which the inspection pattern is printed is dried. A sheet conveyance misalignment in the dried sheet is again corrected in the corrective unit, and the inspection pattern of the corrected sheet is read to perform a color shading inspection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akimitsu Hoshi, Ryosuke Sato
  • Patent number: 8814289
    Abstract: A print apparatus includes a selection unit, a print unit and control unit. The selection unit categorizes a curve-shape of a print target surface into one specific shape pattern among a plurality of shape patterns having shapes whose degrees of curving are different from each other. The print unit has a recording head that applies ink on the print target surface. The control unit controls the print unit to set an ink amount to be applied at the edge parts of the print target surface to predetermined amount which is set corresponding to the specific shape pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shuichi Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 8814343
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes the following elements. A carriage allows a head ejecting liquid which is curable by light irradiation to move in the moving direction intersecting the transporting direction in which a medium is transported. A precuring light source, provided for the carriage, radiates light for precuring to dots formed by applying the liquid ejected from the moving head onto the medium. A full curing light source is provided for the carriage so as to be located downstream of the precuring light source in the transporting direction. The full curing light source radiates light for full curing to the dots which have been irradiated with light for precuring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Onishi
  • Patent number: 8814297
    Abstract: Provided is a printing apparatus including a first nozzle through which to eject a clear ink, a second nozzle through which to eject a color ink, a third nozzle through which to eject a glitter ink, and a control unit that controls ejections of the inks through the first nozzle, the second nozzle and the third nozzle, wherein the control unit performs control, at the time of forming a color image on a transparent medium, in a manner that ejects the clear ink onto the transparent medium through the first nozzle, ejects the color ink to be ejected onto the clear ink through the second nozzle to form an image resulting from the color ink, and ejects the glitter ink onto the clear ink and the color ink through the third nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenori Usuda, Takayoshi Kagata
  • Patent number: 8814304
    Abstract: This invention is made to solve a problem that the power supply cannot be used efficiently because, even when the normally operable ambient temperature of an apparatus is low, the supplied power of the power supply is restricted in consideration of a case in which the ambient temperature is high. To solve this, a temperature sensor measures the temperature of a predetermined portion of a printing apparatus or an ambient temperature. The driving count of printing elements used to print in a region by one scan is compared with a threshold determined in accordance with the measured temperature, and an appropriate printing mode is selected. When the ambient temperature of the printing apparatus is low, a large power can be supplied to the printhead, increasing the efficiency of the power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsutoshi Miyahara
  • Patent number: 8814296
    Abstract: A printing apparatus comprising, a printhead including an element array in which a plurality of printing elements are arrayed, scanning unit configured to reciprocally scan the printhead, driving unit configured to time-divisionally drive the printing elements, conveyance unit configured to convey a printing medium, and setting unit configured to set a driving order, wherein the conveyance unit performs a first conveyance operation of conveying the printing medium by a conveyance amount which is an integer multiple of a width of the group of the time-divisional driving, and a second conveyance operation of conveying the printing medium by a conveyance amount which is not an integer multiple of the width of the group, and the setting unit sets the driving order in the time-divisional driving for each scan based on the conveyance amount by the conveyance unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Yazawa, Yuji Konno, Hinako Ojiro, Masashi Hayashi, Toshiyuki Chikuma, Hirokazu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8814308
    Abstract: Ink droplets are ejected from a plurality of dot forming elements arranged along an array direction to form dots of at least two sizes on a recording medium. If the dots formed along the array direction are classified into a plurality of groups depending on a plurality of times, the existing ratio of dots of a smaller one of the at least two sizes is higher for one of the groups of an earlier time of the times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Wakui
  • Patent number: 8814298
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first conductivity type well region formed by counter doping; a transistor having source and drain regions having a second conductivity type, at least one of the regions being arranged in the well region; a LOCOS region arranged around the at least one region in the well region; and a channel stop region having the first conductivity type arranged under the LOCOS region. The at least one region is arranged at a distance from a tip of a bird's beak of the LOCOS in a direction parallel to a channel width of the transistor. The channel stop region is arranged at a distance from the tip of the bird's beak at an opposite side to the at least one region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Noboyuki Suzuki, Masanobu Ohmura
  • Patent number: 8814292
    Abstract: Inkjet printers are provided, in one aspect, an inkjet printer has an inkjet print engine that prints an image by jetting drops of hydrophilic liquid to form an inkjet image on a surface of at least one of a semi-absorbent recording medium or a non-absorbent recording medium; a transport system to transport the printed surface to a toner printer having a toner print engine to generate a liquid management toner image with toner particles that are at least in part hydrophilic and to transfer the toner image onto the recording medium where an unabsorbed volume of the inkjet ink will be present on the recording medium. A control system causes the inkjet printer to generate the inkjet image on the surface and causes the toner printer to generate a liquid management toner image that provides toner particles to manage an unabsorbed volume of the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8814348
    Abstract: A conveyance apparatus has a first conveyance path along which a printing medium is conveyed, a first discharge port, and a second conveyance path which causes reversal of the conveyance direction of the printing medium partially exposed from the discharge port and feeds the printing medium to the first conveyance path again. The apparatus further includes an estimation unit which estimates an amount of exposure of the printing medium at the discharge port, a decision unit which, when jamming of the printing medium occurs, determines a printing-medium removal method in accordance with the amount of exposure estimated, and an output unit which outputs the determined removal method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisashi Enomoto
  • Publication number: 20140231674
    Abstract: An aqueous ink jet printer ink composition is designed for ink jet printing of fluorescent images. This composition contains fluorescent pigment particles that have (1) an excitation peak wavelength of at least 300 nm and less than 400 nm, and (2) an emission peak that is greater than 400 nm and up to and including 700 nm when exposed to fluorescent-exciting radiation. The non-polymeric fluorescent pigment particles have a median particle size that is greater than 10 nm and up to and including 500 nm, and the 95th percentile fluorescent pigment particle size is less than 150 nm. The composition can be continuously printed on various pretreated or untreated receiver elements or articles to provide a fluorescent image that can be detected when excited at the appropriate wavelength. The fluorescent image can thus be used as a security or identification mark for various purposes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventor: Wayne Lee Cook
  • Patent number: 8810850
    Abstract: A controlling device may perform an image process on specific image data so as to generate processed image data, select a process mode from a plurality of process modes, including a first process mode and a second process mode, and perform the image process according to the selected process mode. The first process mode may be for performing the image process by performing, in order to compensate variability of discharging amounts of the liquid droplets discharged from the plurality of nozzles, a specific process on a target pixel within target image data using correction data for a target nozzle. The target nozzle may be to form a dot at a position on a print medium corresponding to the target pixel. The second process mode may be for performing the image process by performing the specific process on the target pixel within target image data without using the correction data for the target nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasunari Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8807677
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a first part of nozzles that ejects at least one of brilliant ink and white ink to a medium, a second part of nozzles that ejects color ink to the medium, and a control unit that forms a first image by the first part of nozzles and forms a second image on the first image by the second part of nozzles, and deforms, when a part of an edge of the first image and a part of an edge of the second image are overlapped before forming the image on the medium, at least one of the first image and the second image so that a portion of the overlapped edge in the second image is positioned outside a portion of the overlapped edge in the first image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shiki Kumagai, Masaru Kumagai, Tsuyoshi Sano
  • Patent number: 8807729
    Abstract: An ink set for ink jet recording is provided, the ink set including a first ink containing first resin particles and not substantially containing a colorant; and a second ink containing titanium oxide particles and containing the first resin particles in an amount less than 6 weight %, the second ink being ejected substantially at the same time as ejection of the first ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shohei Shiono
  • Patent number: 8807676
    Abstract: A control device may generate processed image data, supply the processed image data to a print performing unit and execute a compensation process on a target pixel by using correcting data for a target image forming element which is to form an image at a position corresponding to a target pixel. The correcting data may be data acquired by using a difference between a target value and a value being acquired by using characteristic data corresponding to a first image forming element within a plurality of image forming elements. The target value may be acquired by using characteristic data corresponding to the target image forming element. The first image forming element may be an image forming element which is to form a first neighbor raster neighboring a target raster formed on the print medium by the target image forming element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasunari Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8810851
    Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, the generating unit generates print data indicating whether a dot having one of a plurality of sizes is formed or not, by performing a halftone process on original image data. The correcting unit generates corrected print data by correcting the print data. The dividing unit divides the edge part data of the print data into a plurality of block data. The index value determining unit determines, for each block data, an index value relating to an amount of ink to be used based on the plurality of dot data included in the each block data. The changing unit changes, for each block data, the size information of at least one dot data among the plurality of dot data included in the each block data based on the index value such that the amount of ink to be used becomes reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masashi Kuno
  • Publication number: 20140225947
    Abstract: A printer for printing information onto articles such as histology specimen slides and cassettes having a print zone. One embodiment of the printer includes an ink receiving structure to receive an ink source such as a print ribbon, a collection receiving structure to receive a collection medium such as paper or polymer web, a printing area including a printhead, a rubber-like laminator, and a control system. The control system is responsive to print data and causes the printhead to transfer a first color and first format image, such as a negative image, away from the ink source and onto the collection medium to form a first color and second format image, such as a positive image, on the ink source, and causes the laminator to transfer the second format image from the ink source to the print zones of the articles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2013
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: PRIMERA TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Robert P. Cummins, Darren W. Haas
  • Publication number: 20140225948
    Abstract: A method includes deriving from print data a first intended position of a first dot to be printed, determining a first printing element from a plurality of printing elements suitable for printing the first dot at the first intended position, printing the first dot with the first printing element at a first location on the substrate, deriving from the print data a second intended position of a second dot to be printed, retrieving a tolerated deviation of a distance between the first intended position and the second intended position, determining a second printing element from the plurality of printing elements suitable for printing the second dot based on the tolerated deviation, and printing the second dot with the second printing element at a second location on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: OCE-TECHNOLOGIES B.V.
    Inventors: Matheus WIJNSTEKERS, Henricus C.M. VAN GENUCHTEN, Björn H.A.J.M. KETELAARS
  • Patent number: 8801127
    Abstract: A wet on wet garment printing device for printing on a textile surface comprises: an ink holder; a printing head mounted for printing onto the textile surface using ink from the ink holder; a wetting applicator for wetting the locations prior to printing using a wetting composition; and an ink regulator configured to identify compatibility of ink in the holding unit with the wetting composition and to operate the wetting applicator only upon successful identification of compatibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Kornit Digital Technologies Ltd.
    Inventor: Ofer Ben-Zur
  • Patent number: 8801128
    Abstract: A basic driving waveform which includes a plurality of jet pulses and a non-jet pulse just before the last jet pulse in one recording period is generated. A part of the pulses is removed from the basic driving waveform by maintaining at least the last jet pulse, and a driving signal that is applied to a discharge energy generation element is generated. In the case of using only the last jet pulse among the plurality of jet pulses is used for the jet, a first driving signal that includes the non-jet pulse just before the last jet pulse is generated. In the case of joining the last jet pulse and at least another jet pulse among the plurality of jet pulses to use the pulses for the jet, a second driving signal that is configured to remove the non-jet pulse is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Ryuji Tsukamoto
  • Publication number: 20140218427
    Abstract: An apparatus including: a print head having a plurality of nozzle arrays; a scanning unit configured to perform scanning by the print head in a first direction and in a second direction; an adjusting unit configured to adjust an amount of the ink ejection from a first nozzle unit consisted from predetermined number of nozzles arranged in one of end positions of a first nozzle array, the number of nozzle arrays arranged in a side of the first direction from the first nozzle array is lower than the number of nozzle arrays arranged in a side of the second direction from the first nozzle array; and a control unit, the adjusting unit adjusts the amount of the ink ejection such that amount of ink ejection in the scan of the first direction is smaller than amount of ink ejection in the scan of the second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shingo Nishioka
  • Patent number: 8794727
    Abstract: A printing apparatus has a series of inkjet print heads spaced from one another in a transport direction. A continuous belt driven around a roller system is used to feed sheet media successively to the print heads so that a partial image printed by one print head is overprinted at a subsequent print head with registration of the partial images. A sheet medium is caused to become electrostatically tacked to the belt by passing the sheet past a charging device. Movement of the belt is tracked by a tracking sub-system and operation of the print heads is coordinated with the tracked belt movement to achieve precise registration of the partial images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Delphax Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Thomson, Jeffrey Belbeck, Robert McCallum, Theodore Bellisario
  • Patent number: 8794728
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a cap, and a preliminary discharge unit. The recording head can discharge a plurality of types of ink. The cap caps a discharge port face of the recording head. The preliminary discharge unit causes the recording head to execute a preliminary discharge. The preliminary discharge unit changes a preliminary discharge operation according to a length of time during which the discharge port face is capped by the cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takatoshi Nakano, Kiichiro Takahashi, Tetsuya Edamura, Akiko Maru, Hirokazu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8794724
    Abstract: A method of surface marking an article, especially a building product, is provided. One described method includes the steps of laser marking a first graphic design element on a surface of an article and ink-jet printing a second graphic design element in registry with the first graphic design element on the surface of the article to create a high quality overall graphic design. Also provided are articles made according to this method, and systems for carrying out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Masonite Corporation
    Inventors: Darryl J. Costin, Sr., Darryl J. Costin, Jr., Scott Fellin, Chase Carter
  • Patent number: 8789916
    Abstract: There is provided a printing method that is performed by using a first nozzle ejecting color ink that is used for printing an image on a medium, a second nozzle ejecting a process solution that is used for processing the surface of the medium. The printing method includes printing an image constituted by color dots on the medium by ejecting the color ink from the first nozzle so as to form the color dots on the medium and forming process dots in areas other than the image on the medium by ejecting the process solution from the second nozzle, transporting the medium in a direction opposite to a transport direction after the color dots and the process dots are formed on the medium, and coating the color dots and the process dots with the process solution after the medium is transported in the direction opposite to the transport direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toyohiko Mitsuzawa
  • Patent number: 8789906
    Abstract: In a case where N1 lines (N1 being less than N which is a number of nozzles included in one nozzle line) of target line image data represent N1 lines of target line images to be printed by only one specific color of ink, and (N?N1) lines of remaining line image data include line image data which represents a line image to be printed by two or more colors of ink, the controlling device may select only the N1 lines of target line image data, so as to determine the opposite direction of the direction of the main scanning of a previous time as the direction of the main scanning of a present time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Maehira, Masashi Kuno, Sadaaki Miyazaki, Toru Mizuno
  • Patent number: 8789905
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus, which discharges liquid from at least one nozzle on the basis of data, which includes a controller. When the controller is in a standby state and no liquid is being discharged from the at least one nozzle on the basis of the data, the controller performs a drawing operation wherein the liquid is drawn into the nozzle in a direction that is opposite to the direction that the ink is discharged from the at least one nozzle in order to form a space at a distal end portion of the at least one nozzle where no liquid is present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Shimazaki, Eiichiro Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20140204139
    Abstract: A system includes a first memory to store pixel data, a first processing stage to process the pixel data in a nozzle axis major order to provide pre-aligned nozzle data, a second memory to store the pre-aligned nozzle data, a second processing stage to process the pre-aligned nozzle data in a print sweep axis major order to provide post-aligned nozzle data, a third memory to store the post-aligned nozzle data, and a third processing stage to process the post-aligned nozzle data in the nozzle axis major order to provide processed nozzle data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
  • Publication number: 20140204140
    Abstract: A printing device include a control section that causes the head to execute an ejection operation of forming an image forming dot for printing an image designated as a print target and a flushing dot other than the image forming dot on a printing medium, wherein the control section has an acquiring unit that acquires a prescribed parameter in printing conditions for forming the image forming dot on the printing medium, a determining unit that determines a margin area in which the flushing dot is not formed in an end portion of the printing medium based on the prescribed parameter, and an executing unit that executes the ejection operation so as not to form the flushing dot in the margin area on the printing medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki SUDO, Akito SATO
  • Patent number: 8783807
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first nozzle group forming a main image; a second nozzle group ejecting auxiliary ink and lined up with the first nozzle group in a moving direction of the nozzle group; and a third nozzle group ejecting the auxiliary ink and positioned on a downstream side of a medium transport direction relative to the first nozzle group, in which ink is ejected from the first nozzle group on a region where the main image is formed in the image forming region on the medium in a first ejection operation, and auxiliary ink is ejected from the second nozzle group on a region where the main image is not formed in the image forming region, and, in an ejection operation after the first ejection operation, the auxiliary ink is ejected from the third nozzle group over the entire image forming region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Shimada
  • Patent number: 8783804
    Abstract: A method of dispensing liquid includes providing a carrier liquid under pressure using a first liquid supply that flows from the first liquid supply through a first liquid supply channel through a liquid dispensing channel through a liquid return channel and back to the first liquid supply continuously during a drop dispensing operation. A functional liquid is provided to the liquid dispensing channel through a second liquid supply channel using a second liquid supply. A drop formation device is selectively actuated to form a discrete drop of the functional liquid in the carrier liquid flowing through the liquid dispensing channel. The functional liquid is immiscible in the carrier liquid. The drop ejection device is selectively actuated to divert the discrete drop of the functional liquid and a portion of the carrier liquid flowing through the liquid dispensing channel toward an outlet opening of the liquid dispensing channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Hrishikesh V. Panchawagh, Yonglin Xie, Carolyn R. Ellinger, Michael A. Marcus, Thomas W. Palone
  • Patent number: RE45067
    Abstract: The invention concerns a contactless numerical printing machine for products of average fluidity, such as varnish, glue, and conducting or scratchable ink, onto a substrate of variable thickness and dimensions. The machine includes a special device for printing without contact by projection. The projected materials are materials of average fluidity or composed of large-dimension molecules. The process used includes an electro-acoustic device for control of the projection, and a multiplicity of projection nozzles, each controlled individually. The machine also includes a production chain with different work stations, whose printing devices are controlled by a computer management system. The production chain allows printing with a certain precision in given zones located during the processing by an appropriate work station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: MGI France
    Inventors: Edmond Abergel, Raphael Renaud