Patents by Inventor Fumitake TAJIRI

Fumitake TAJIRI 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).

  • Patent number: 11906914
    Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller drives the first motor to drive the roller and fixes the developer image on a sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure while driving the first motor in a case where a final sheet among one or more sheets fixed according to a print job has passed the nip, and halts the first motor after the nip pressure is modified to the second nip pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Mizuno, Fumitake Tajiri, Tokifumi Tanaka, Tomonori Watanabe, Sadaharu Kato, Hirotaka Imaeda
  • Publication number: 20230393499
    Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller drives the first motor to drive the roller and fixes the developer image on a sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure while driving the first motor in a case where a final sheet among one or more sheets fixed according to a print job has passed the nip, and halts the first motor after the nip pressure is modified to the second nip pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke MIZUNO, Fumitake TAJIRI, Tokifumi TANAKA, Tomonori WATANABE, Sadaharu KATO, Hirotaka IMAEDA
  • Publication number: 20230013592
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing cartridge, a drum cartridge, a casing, a connector, and a controller. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a drum cartridge memory, a charger, and a cleaner. The charger is configured to charge the photosensitive drum and including a wire and a grid electrode. The cleaner is configured to clean the wire. The connector is configured to be electrically connected to the drum cartridge memory. Information is writable to the drum memory through the connector. The detection circuit board is configured to detect a state of discharge of the charger. The controller is configured to perform: determining whether or not the state of discharge detected by the detection circuit board is abnormal; and writing, in the drum cartridge memory, information representing occurrence of the abnormal discharge through the connector in a case where occurrence of the abnormal discharge is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fumitake TAJIRI
  • Patent number: 11507002
    Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A first motor drives the roller. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller starts driving the first motor to drive the roller in a case where a print command is received in a state that the nip pressure is the second nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the second nip pressure to the first nip pressure after the driving is performed and fixes the developer image on the sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fumitake Tajiri, Yusuke Mizuno, Tokifumi Tanaka, Tomonori Watanabe, Sadaharu Kato, Hirotaka Imaeda
  • Patent number: 11467522
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing cartridge, a drum cartridge, a casing, a connector, and a controller. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a drum cartridge memory, a charger, and a cleaner. The charger is configured to charge the photosensitive drum and including a wire and a grid electrode. The cleaner is configured to clean the wire. The connector is configured to be electrically connected to the drum cartridge memory. Information is writable to the drum memory through the connector. The detection circuit board is configured to detect a state of discharge of the charger. The controller is configured to perform: determining whether or not the state of discharge detected by the detection circuit board is abnormal; and writing, in the drum cartridge memory, information representing occurrence of the abnormal discharge through the connector in a case where occurrence of the abnormal discharge is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fumitake Tajiri
  • Publication number: 20220197197
    Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller drives the first motor to drive the roller and fixes the developer image on a sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure while driving the first motor in a case where a final sheet among one or more sheets fixed according to a print job has passed the nip, and halts the first motor after the nip pressure is modified to the second nip pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke MIZUNO, Fumitake TAJIRI, Tokifumi TANAKA, Tomonori WATANABE, Sadaharu KATO, Hirotaka IMAEDA
  • Patent number: 11340544
    Abstract: In an image-forming apparatus, a fixing device includes first and second fixing members; and a pressure modifying mechanism. The first and second fixing members form a nip. The pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller performs: a converting process to convert print data into raster image data; an image-forming process to form a developer image on a sheet using the raster image data; and a fixing process to fix the developer image to the sheet with the fixing device at the first nip pressure. When a second converting process is not completed before a prescribed time following completion of a first fixing process has elapsed, the controller further performs a nip pressure reducing process to modify the nip pressure from the first to the second nip pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fumitake Tajiri, Yusuke Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11294308
    Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller drives the first motor to drive the roller and fixes the developer image on a sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure while driving the first motor in a case where a final sheet among one or more sheets fixed according to a print job has passed the nip, and halts the first motor after the nip pressure is modified to the second nip pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Mizuno, Fumitake Tajiri, Tokifumi Tanaka, Tomonori Watanabe, Sadaharu Kato, Hirotaka Imaeda
  • Patent number: 11288099
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus performs: acquiring an input file name from a removable memory connected to an interface; determining whether the input file name includes a first character string and whether the input file name includes a second character string; when the input file name includes the first character string, changing current setting information into specified setting information, the current setting information being among a plurality of setting information stored in the internal memory and corresponding to a first setting item specified by first input information, the specified setting information being included in the first input information and corresponding to the first setting item; and when the input file name includes the second character string, acquiring current setting information corresponding to a second setting item specified by second input information; and storing, in the removable memory, a file including output information indicating the acquired current setting information, as an out
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Okuno, Katsunori Enomoto, Fumitake Tajiri, Yoshihiro Itogawa, Sho Ogura, Hideki Nogawa
  • Patent number: 11112739
    Abstract: In an image-forming apparatus, a fixing device includes: a first fixing member; a heater; a motor; a second fixing member; and a pressure modifying mechanism. The second fixing member forms a nip together with the first fixing member. The pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at a nip to one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. In a first case where a sheet jam occurs in the image-forming apparatus and no sheet exists in the nip, a controller performs: reducing the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure; and halting rotation of the first fixing member after completed the reducing. In a second case where a sheet jam occurs in the image-forming apparatus and a sheet exists in the nip, the controller performs: the halting; and the reducing after completed the halting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Mizuno, Fumitake Tajiri
  • Publication number: 20210191296
    Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller drives the first motor to drive the roller and fixes the developer image on a sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure while driving the first motor in a case where a final sheet among one or more sheets fixed according to a print job has passed the nip, and halts the first motor after the nip pressure is modified to the second nip pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke MIZUNO, Fumitake TAJIRI, Tokifumi TANAKA, Tomonori WATANABE, Sadaharu KATO, Hirotaka IMAEDA
  • Publication number: 20210191295
    Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A first motor drives the roller. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller starts driving the first motor to drive the roller in a case where a print command is received in a state that the nip pressure is the second nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the second nip pressure to the first nip pressure after the driving is performed and fixes the developer image on the sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fumitake TAJIRI, Yusuke MIZUNO, Tokifumi TANAKA, Tomonori WATANABE, Sadaharu KATO, Hirotaka !MAEDA
  • Publication number: 20210191302
    Abstract: In an image-forming apparatus, a fixing device includes: a first fixing member; a heater; a motor; a second fixing member; and a pressure modifying mechanism. The second fixing member forms a nip together with the first fixing member. The pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at a nip to one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. In a first case where a sheet jam occurs in the image-forming apparatus and no sheet exists in the nip, a controller performs: reducing the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure; and halting rotation of the first fixing member after completed the reducing. In a second case where a sheet jam occurs in the image-forming apparatus and a sheet exists in the nip, the controller performs: the halting; and the reducing after completed the halting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke MIZUNO, Fumitake TAJIRI
  • Publication number: 20210191300
    Abstract: In an image-forming apparatus, a fixing device includes first and second fixing members; and a pressure modifying mechanism. The first and second fixing members form a nip. The pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller performs: a converting process to convert print data into raster image data; an image-forming process to form a developer image on a sheet using the raster image data; and a fixing process to fix the developer image to the sheet with the fixing device at the first nip pressure. When a second converting process is not completed before a prescribed time following completion of a first fixing process has elapsed, the controller further performs a nip pressure reducing process to modify the nip pressure from the first to the second nip pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fumitake Tajiri, Yusuke Mizuno
  • Publication number: 20210088954
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing cartridge, a drum cartridge, a casing, a connector, and a controller. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a drum cartridge memory, a charger, and a cleaner. The charger is configured to charge the photosensitive drum and including a wire and a grid electrode. The cleaner is configured to clean the wire. The connector is configured to be electrically connected to the drum cartridge memory. Information is writable to the drum memory through the connector. The detection circuit board is configured to detect a state of discharge of the charger. The controller is configured to perform: determining whether or not the state of discharge detected by the detection circuit board is abnormal; and writing, in the drum cartridge memory, information representing occurrence of the abnormal discharge through the connector in a case where occurrence of the abnormal discharge is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fumitake TAJIRI
  • Patent number: 10866552
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing cartridge, a drum cartridge, a casing, a connector, and a controller. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a drum cartridge memory, a charger, and a cleaner. The charger is configured to charge the photosensitive drum and including a wire and a grid electrode. The cleaner is configured to clean the wire. The connector is configured to be electrically connected to the drum cartridge memory. Information is writable to the drum memory through the connector. The detection circuit board is configured to detect a state of discharge of the charger. The controller is configured to perform: determining whether or not the state of discharge detected by the detection circuit board is abnormal; and writing, in the drum cartridge memory, information representing occurrence of the abnormal discharge through the connector in a case where occurrence of the abnormal discharge is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fumitake Tajiri
  • Patent number: 10571838
    Abstract: A controller of an image forming apparatus executes acquisition processing of acquiring an area of an image which exists in a predetermined region of a first page where a developer image is first to be formed, heating processing of heating a heating member such that a temperature of the heating member reaches a fixing temperature, and feeding processing of starting feed of a sheet to a process unit after a predetermined period of time elapses from a predetermined timing after a start of print processing. The predetermined region is laid at both end portions in a width direction of the first page. In a case where the area of the image is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the controller sets the predetermined period of time in the feeding processing shorter as compared with a case where the area of the image is larger than the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fumitake Tajiri, Yusuke Mizuno, Tatsuya Koyama, Hisashi Tsukawaki
  • Publication number: 20190302669
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing cartridge, a drum cartridge, a casing, a connector, and a controller. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, a drum cartridge memory, a charger, and a cleaner. The charger is configured to charge the photosensitive drum and including a wire and a grid electrode. The cleaner is configured to clean the wire. The connector is configured to be electrically connected to the drum cartridge memory. Information is writable to the drum memory through the connector. The detection circuit board is configured to detect a state of discharge of the charger. The controller is configured to perform: determining whether or not the state of discharge detected by the detection circuit board is abnormal; and writing, in the drum cartridge memory, information representing occurrence of the abnormal discharge through the connector in a case where occurrence of the abnormal discharge is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fumitake TAJIRI
  • Publication number: 20190265622
    Abstract: A controller of an image forming apparatus executes acquisition processing of acquiring an area of an image which exists in a predetermined region of a first page where a developer image is first to be formed, heating processing of heating a heating member such that a temperature of the heating member reaches a fixing temperature, and feeding processing of starting feed of a sheet to a process unit after a predetermined period of time elapses from a predetermined timing after a start of print processing. The predetermined region is laid at both end portions in a width direction of the first page. In a case where the area of the image is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the controller sets the predetermined period of time in the feeding processing shorter as compared with a case where the area of the image is larger than the predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fumitake TAJIRI, Yusuke MIZUNO, Tatsuya KOYAMA, Hisashi TSUKAWAKI
  • Patent number: 10018953
    Abstract: A controller calculates a first time period T1 and a second time period T2. The first time period T1 is defined as a time period required for conveying the end portion of the sheet, which is conveyed in a first conveyance direction E, disposed on the upstream side in the first conveyance direction E up to a reversal position A3. The second time period T2 is defined as a time period required for conveying an end portion of the reversed sheet disposed on an upstream side in a second conveyance direction R from the reversal position A3 to a branching point A1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fumitake Tajiri