Patents by Inventor Ai Takagami
Ai Takagami has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20160320721Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a driving device, a charging member, a cleaning member, a voltage applying device, a braking distance detector, a storage for storing a predetermined braking distance value Lc, and a control portion. The control portion obtains as Lon the braking distance when the charging voltage is applied to the charging member and obtains as Loff the braking distance when no charging voltage is applied to the charging member. Let the braking distance observed when no charging voltage is applied at an early stage of use of the image carrying member be represented by Loff(0), then, when the relations Loff<Loff(0) and Lc<Loff/Lon hold, the control portion determines that the degree of smoothness of the surface of the image carrying member is equal to or higher than a predetermined degree of smoothness.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2016Publication date: November 3, 2016Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Takahiko MURATA, Norio TOMIIE, Masaki KADOTA, Ai TAKAGAMI, Maki IKE
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Patent number: 9483009Abstract: An image forming apparatus (100) forms an image on a recording medium. The image forming apparatus (100) includes a substrate (161), a photosensitive drum (120), a heating element (163) that heats the photosensitive drum (120), a light emitting element (162) that performs static elimination on the photosensitive drum (120), and a metal member (167) that transfers heat from the heating element (163) to the photosensitive drum (120). The light emitting element (162) and the heating element (163) are mounted on one of main surfaces of the substrate (161). The metal member (167) is in contact with another of the main surface of the substrate (161).Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2015Date of Patent: November 1, 2016Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Yosuke Saito, Shigeki Tsukahara, Ai Takagami, Masaki Kadota
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Publication number: 20160306316Abstract: An image forming apparatus (100) forms an image on a recording medium. The image forming apparatus (100) includes a substrate (161), a photosensitive drum (120), a heating element (163) that heats the photosensitive drum (120), a light emitting element (162) that performs static elimination on the photosensitive drum (120), and a metal member (167) that transfers heat from the heating element (163) to the photosensitive drum (120). The light emitting element (162) and the heating element (163) are mounted on one of main surfaces of the substrate (161). The metal member (167) is in contact with another of the main surface of the substrate (161).Type: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2015Publication date: October 20, 2016Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Yosuke SAITO, Shigeki TSUKAHARA, Ai TAKAGAMI, Masaki KADOTA
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Publication number: 20160238961Abstract: An image forming device includes an image carrier on the surface of which a toner image is formed, a cleaning member arranged in contact with, for cleaning, the surface of the image carrier, a charging member for electrostatically charging the image carrier, a bias applying device, and a control portion. The bias applying device applies a charging bias having DC and AC biases superimposed on each other to the charging member. The control portion controls the charging bias applied to the charging member by the bias applying device. As the AC bias applied to the charging member, the control portion uses, in a first period from the start of use of the image carrier to a predetermined time thereafter, a first AC bias and, in a second period subsequent to the first period, a second AC bias higher than the first AC bias.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 4, 2016Publication date: August 18, 2016Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Ai TAKAGAMI, Hisashi MUKATAKA, Masaki KADOTA, Takahiko MURATA, Maki IKE
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Patent number: 9417567Abstract: The image forming apparatus, which includes a plurality of photosensitive drums, charging devices that contact and charge respective photosensitive drums, developing devices that attach toner including a metal particle, which is a polishing particle, and develop latent images, and cleaning devices that remove remaining toner from surfaces of the photosensitive drums and allows toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drums to be sequentially superposed on an intermediate transfer belt to form a color image, has a primary transfer bias control unit that switches polarity of primary transfer bias, except for a time of image formation on the photosensitive drums, to polarity equal to or opposite to electrostatic charge of toner in response to an average printing rate of each color of a predetermined number of immediately previous papers.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2015Date of Patent: August 16, 2016Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.Inventors: Masaki Kadota, Ai Takagami
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Publication number: 20160216651Abstract: The image forming apparatus, which includes a plurality of photosensitive drums, charging devices that contact and charge respective photosensitive drums, developing devices that attach toner including a metal particle, which is a polishing particle, and develop latent images, and cleaning devices that remove remaining toner from surfaces of the photosensitive drums and allows toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drums to be sequentially superposed on an intermediate transfer belt to form a color image, has a primary transfer bias control unit that switches polarity of primary transfer bias, except for a time of image formation on the photosensitive drums, to polarity equal to or opposite to electrostatic charge of toner in response to an average printing rate of each color of a predetermined number of immediately previous papers.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 22, 2015Publication date: July 28, 2016Applicant: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Masaki KADOTA, Ai TAKAGAMI
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Patent number: 9354584Abstract: An image forming apparatus (100) forms an image on a recording medium. The image forming apparatus (100) includes image forming units (110). Of the image forming units (110), one or more image forming units are intermediate image forming units, and one or more image forming units adjacent to a side of the intermediate image forming units and one or more image forming units adjacent to an opposite side of the intermediate image forming units are side image forming units. The image forming units (110) each include a photosensitive drum (120), a light emitting element (162) performing static elimination on the photosensitive drum (120), and a heating element (163) heating the photosensitive drum (120). The heating elements (163) of the intermediate image forming units receive supply of electric power different in quantity from that of which supply the heating elements (163) the side image forming units receive.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2015Date of Patent: May 31, 2016Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Ai Takagami, Yosuke Saito, Shigeki Tsukahara, Masaki Kadota
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Patent number: 9335713Abstract: A photosensitive member refreshing device includes an image bearing member, an exposure device, a developing device, a detecting section, a cleaning section, and a control section. The image bearing member has a photosensitive roller rotatable about a rotation axis. The exposure device exposes the photosensitive roller to light according to an exposure pattern. The developing device supplies a toner to the photosensitive roller to form a toner image corresponding to the exposure pattern on the photosensitive roller after the exposure device has exposed the photosensitive roller to light. The detecting section detects the toner image on the image bearing member. The cleaning section cleans a surface of the photosensitive roller. The control section controls the exposure pattern based on a result of detection by the detecting section.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2015Date of Patent: May 10, 2016Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Yosuke Saito, Shigeki Tsukahara, Masaki Kadota, Ai Takagami
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Publication number: 20160124372Abstract: An image forming apparatus (100) forms an image on a recording medium. The image forming apparatus (100) includes image forming units (110). Of the image forming units (110), one or more image forming units are intermediate image forming units, and one or more image forming units adjacent to a side of the intermediate image forming units and one or more image forming units adjacent to an opposite side of the intermediate image forming units are side image forming units. The image forming units (110) each include a photosensitive drum (120), a light emitting element (162) performing static elimination on the photosensitive drum (120), and a heating element (163) heating the photosensitive drum (120). The heating elements (163) of the intermediate image forming units receive supply of electric power different in quantity from that of which supply the heating elements (163) the side image forming units receive.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2015Publication date: May 5, 2016Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Ai TAKAGAMI, Yosuke SAITO, Shigeki TSUKAHARA, Masaki KADOTA
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Patent number: 9285720Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image carrying body, a first electrically conductive member, a bias application device, and a controller. The first electrically conductive member makes contact with the photosensitive layer of the image carrying body The bias application device applies a bias containing an AC bias to the first electrically conductive member. The controller controls the bias application device. The image forming apparatus can execute, while no image formation is being performed, a temperature raising mode in which, with the first electrically conductive member in contact with the image carrying body outside the image formation region, an AC bias having a peak-to-peak value twice as high as the discharge start voltage between the first electrically conductive member and the image carrying body is applied to the first electrically conductive member to raise the temperature of the surface of the image carrying body.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2014Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Takahiko Murata, Shigeki Tsukahara, Ai Takagami, Koichi Hayashi, Nobuyuki Hayashi, Yosuke Saito, Maki Ike, Masaki Kadota
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Publication number: 20150234340Abstract: A photosensitive member refreshing device includes an image bearing member, an exposure device, a developing device, a detecting section, a cleaning section, and a control section. The image bearing member has a photosensitive roller rotatable about a rotation axis. The exposure device exposes the photosensitive roller to light according to an exposure pattern. The developing device supplies a toner to the photosensitive roller to form a toner image corresponding to the exposure pattern on the photosensitive roller after the exposure device has exposed the photosensitive roller to light. The detecting section detects the toner image on the image bearing member. The cleaning section cleans a surface of the photosensitive roller. The control section controls the exposure pattern based on a result of detection by the detecting section.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2015Publication date: August 20, 2015Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Yosuke SAITO, Shigeki TSUKAHARA, Masaki KADOTA, Ai TAKAGAMI
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Patent number: 9002232Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a conductive member, a bias application device, and a control portion. The image bearing member has a photosensitive layer formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof. The conductive member is disposed so as to make contact with an inner peripheral surface of the image bearing member and has a dielectric property. The bias application device applies a bias including an alternating current bias to the conductive member. The control portion controls the bias application device. The image forming apparatus is capable of executing a heating-up mode in which an alternating current bias having a peak-to-peak value twice or more as large as a discharge start voltage between the conductive member and the image bearing member is applied to the conductive member to cause the surface of the image bearing member to be heated up.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2014Date of Patent: April 7, 2015Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Shigeki Tsukahara, Takahiko Murata, Ai Takagami, Koichi Hayashi, Nobuyuki Hayashi, Yosuke Saito, Maki Ike, Masaki Kadota
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Patent number: 8971737Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a first conductive member, a bias application device, and a control portion, and performs image formation on a surface of the image bearing member while making the image bearing member rotate. The image forming apparatus is capable of executing a heating-up mode in which, at the time of non-image formation, in a state where the image bearing member is made to rotate at a velocity lower than that used at the time of image formation, an alternating current bias having a frequency higher than that used at the time of image formation and a peak-to-peak value twice or more as large as a discharge start voltage between the first conductive member and the image bearing member is applied to the first conductive member to cause a surface of the image bearing member to be heated up.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2014Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Nobuyuki Hayashi, Koichi Hayashi, Shigeki Tsukahara, Takahiko Murata, Ai Takagami, Yosuke Saito, Maki Ike, Masaki Kadota
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Patent number: 8971767Abstract: A charge applying member includes a conductive roller and a shaft. The conductive roller includes a first region in contact with a member to be charged and facing an image forming region of the member to be charged and a second region next to a longitudinal end of the first region and facing a region of the member to be charged outside the image forming region and is configured to apply a charge to the member to be charged. The shaft formed of a metallic material inserted into the conductive roller and configured to be given a voltage from a power supply. A region plated with a metal having a lower ionization tendency than the shaft is formed as a plated region on a surface portion of the shaft corresponding to the first and second regions and a non-plated region is formed on a surface portion of the shaft corresponding to the second region.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2013Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Ai Takagami, Takahiko Murata, Yoshimi Shimizu, Maki Ike, Kanako Morimoto
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Patent number: 8923744Abstract: A cleaning device includes: a cleaning rotating body 160; a scraping member 130; a toner restriction face 141; and a downstream side restriction portion 140. The cleaning rotating body 160 is arranged in sliding contact with the surface of the image carrying body 2. A front end portion 131 of the scraping member 130 is arranged in contact with or in proximity to a surface of the cleaning rotating body 160. The scraping member 130 is a plate-like member and includes a toner receiving face 133 to which the toner is carried from the front end portion 131. The toner restriction face 141 is arranged to be orthogonal to the toner receiving face 133. The downstream side restriction portion 140 restricts movement of the toner to a downstream side in a rotational direction of the cleaning rotating body 166.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2013Date of Patent: December 30, 2014Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Yoshimi Shimizu, Takahiko Murata, Ai Takagami
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Publication number: 20140308053Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a conductive member, a bias application device, and a control portion. The image bearing member has a photosensitive layer formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof. The conductive member is disposed so as to make contact with an inner peripheral surface of the image bearing member and has a dielectric property. The bias application device applies a bias including an alternating current bias to the conductive member. The control portion controls the bias application device. The image forming apparatus is capable of executing a heating-up mode in which an alternating current bias having a peak-to-peak value twice or more as large as a discharge start voltage between the conductive member and the image bearing member is applied to the conductive member to cause the surface of the image bearing member to be heated up.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2014Publication date: October 16, 2014Applicant: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.Inventors: Shigeki TSUKAHARA, Takahiko MURATA, Ai TAKAGAMI, Koichi HAYASHI, Nobuyuki HAYASHI, Yosuke SAITO, Maki IKE, Masaki KADOTA
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Publication number: 20140294410Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a first conductive member, a bias application device, and a control portion, and performs image formation on a surface of the image bearing member while making the image bearing member rotate. The image forming apparatus is capable of executing a heating-up mode in which, at the time of non-image formation, in a state where the image bearing member is made to rotate at a velocity lower than that used at the time of image formation, an alternating current bias having a frequency higher than that used at the time of image formation and a peak-to-peak value twice or more as large as a discharge start voltage between the first conductive member and the image bearing member is applied to the first conductive member to cause a surface of the image bearing member to be heated up.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2014Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.Inventors: Nobuyuki HAYASHI, Koichi HAYASHI, Shigeki TSUKAHARA, Takahiko MURATA, Ai TAKAGAMI, Yosuke SAITO, Maki IKE, Masaki KADOTA
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Publication number: 20140294409Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image carrying body, a first electrically conductive member, a bias application device, and a controller. The first electrically conductive member makes contact with the photosensitive layer of the image carrying body The bias application device applies a bias containing an AC bias to the first electrically conductive member. The controller controls the bias application device. The image forming apparatus can execute, while no image formation is being performed, a temperature raising mode in which, with the first electrically conductive member in contact with the image carrying body outside the image formation region, an AC bias having a peak-to-peak value twice as high as the discharge start voltage between the first electrically conductive member and the image carrying body is applied to the first electrically conductive member to raise the temperature of the surface of the image carrying body.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2014Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Takahiko MURATA, Shigeki TSUKAHARA, Ai TAKAGAMI, Koichi HAYASHI, Nobuyuki HAYASHI, Yosuke SAITO, Maki IKE, Masaki KADOTA
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Publication number: 20140023397Abstract: A charge applying member includes a conductive roller and a shaft. The conductive roller includes a first region in contact with a member to be charged and facing an image forming region of the member to be charged and a second region next to a longitudinal end of the first region and facing a region of the member to be charged outside the image forming region and is configured to apply a charge to the member to be charged. The shaft formed of a metallic material inserted into the conductive roller and configured to be given a voltage from a power supply. A region plated with a metal having a lower ionization tendency than the shaft is formed as a plated region on a surface portion of the shaft corresponding to the first and second regions and a non-plated region is formed on a surface portion of the shaft corresponding to the second region.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2013Publication date: January 23, 2014Inventors: Ai Takagami, Takahiko Murata, Yoshimi Shimizu, Maki Ike, Kanako Morimoto
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Patent number: 8543049Abstract: A cleaning apparatus is provided with a cleaning roller that is positioned so as to be in contact with a photosensitive drum, and with a toner layer thickness regulating member that regulates the thickness of a toner layer adhering to the surface of this cleaning roller. The toner layer thickness regulating member is formed by a toner layer thickness regulating roller that rotates in contact with the cleaning roller.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2010Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.Inventors: Kiyotaka Kobayashi, Takahiko Murata, Ai Takagami, Yoshimi Shimizu, Mitsuhiro Goda, Susumu Hanano, Hirofumi Tsuji, Chisato Hatakeyama, Katsuya Ota