Patents by Inventor Hidekazu Nogami
Hidekazu Nogami 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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Patent number: 9323207Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit, a housing having a sheet ejection opening, a plurality of sheet ejection rollers disposed in the sheet ejection opening and configured to eject the sheet fed from the fixing unit to the outside of the housing, a heat generating member spaced apart from the fixing unit and configured to generate heat, and a first guide member. The first guide member is disposed above the heat generating member, and configured to guide the sheet fed from the fixing unit to the ejection rollers. The first guide member includes a base portion having a plurality of outlet ports, and a plurality of ribs protruding upward from the base portion. The outlet ports are disposed between each pair of adjacent ones of the ribs and positioned closer to a downstream end of the first guide member than to an upstream end thereof.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2014Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidekazu Nogami, Shogo Mori
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Patent number: 9052689Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main body casing; a fixing unit accommodated in the casing and including a heating member and a pressing member; a first wall provided inside the casing at a position above the heating member and the pressing member and extending diagonally downward and forward; an uneven portion provided on the first wall at a position rearward of front end portion of the pressing member to restrain a dew droplet condensed on the first wall from running down along the first wall; a sheet ejection opening formed in the casing such that the recording sheet conveyed out from the fixing unit is ejected outside the casing through the sheet ejection opening; and an exhaust opening formed in the casing at a position rearward of the heating member such that air heated in the fixing unit is discharged outside the casing through the exhaust opening.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2013Date of Patent: June 9, 2015Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahito Saeki, Hidekazu Nogami, Koyo Yamamoto
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Publication number: 20150093142Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit, a housing having a sheet ejection opening, a plurality of sheet ejection rollers disposed in the sheet ejection opening and configured to eject the sheet fed from the fixing unit to the outside of the housing, a heat generating member spaced apart from the fixing unit and configured to generate heat, and a first guide member. The first guide member is disposed above the heat generating member, and configured to guide the sheet fed from the fixing unit to the ejection rollers. The first guide member includes a base portion having a plurality of outlet ports, and a plurality of ribs protruding upward from the base portion. The outlet ports are disposed between each pair of adjacent ones of the ribs and positioned closer to a downstream end of the first guide member than to an upstream end thereof.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2014Publication date: April 2, 2015Inventors: Hidekazu Nogami, Shogo Mori
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Patent number: 8965249Abstract: A charging device includes a discharging electrode, grid electrode, pair of shielding electrodes, frame, airflow-generating electrode, and impurity-removing member. The discharging electrode produces a corona discharge to charge a surface of photosensitive member. A first voltage is applied to the grid electrode. The discharging electrode is positioned between the shielding electrodes. The frame includes a pair of side walls confronting with each other in the moving direction. The discharging electrode and the pair of shielding electrodes are positioned between the side walls. The airflow-generating electrode is disposed at a position opposite to the discharging electrode with respect to the grid electrode. The airflow-generating electrode is applied with a second voltage lower than the first voltage. The impurity-removing member is provided on an inner surface of the frame.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2013Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hidekazu Nogami, Masato Kobayashi
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Publication number: 20140186069Abstract: A charging device includes a discharging electrode, grid electrode, pair of shielding electrodes, frame, airflow-generating electrode, and impurity-removing member. The discharging electrode produces a corona discharge to charge a surface of photosensitive member. A first voltage is applied to the grid electrode. The discharging electrode is positioned between the shielding electrodes. The frame includes a pair of side walls confronting with each other in the moving direction. The discharging electrode and the pair of shielding electrodes are positioned between the side walls. The airflow-generating electrode is disposed at a position opposite to the discharging electrode with respect to the grid electrode. The airflow-generating electrode is applied with a second voltage lower than the first voltage. The impurity-removing member is provided on an inner surface of the frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2013Publication date: July 3, 2014Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hidekazu Nogami, Masato Kobayashi
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Patent number: 8591005Abstract: A liquid ejection head, wherein recessed portions are formed in an ejection face such that, where, in the one direction, a distance D1 is a distance between (i) a one-side portion of an opening end of one recessed portion and (ii) an other-side portion of an opening end of another recessed portion adjacent to the one recessed portion on one side thereof and where a distance D2 is a distance between (i) an other-side portion of the opening end of the one recessed portion and (ii) a one-side portion of an opening end of another recessed portion adjacent to the one recessed portion on the other side thereof, a large-and-small relationship of an average value of the distances D1, D2 of a second recessed portion with respect to that of a first recessed portion is the same as a large-and-small relationship of a cross-sectional area of the first recessed portion with respect to that of the second recessed portion.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2011Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hikaru Nakamoto, Manabu Hibi, Hidekazu Nogami
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Publication number: 20130195500Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main body casing; a fixing unit accommodated in the casing and including a heating member and a pressing member; a first wall provided inside the casing at a position above the heating member and the pressing member and extending diagonally downward and forward; an uneven portion provided on the first wall at a position rearward of front end portion of the pressing member to restrain a dew droplet condensed on the first wall from running down along the first wall; a sheet ejection opening formed in the casing such that the recording sheet conveyed out from the fixing unit is ejected outside the casing through the sheet ejection opening; and an exhaust opening formed in the casing at a position rearward of the heating member such that air heated in the fixing unit is discharged outside the casing through the exhaust opening.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 30, 2013Publication date: August 1, 2013Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahito Saeki, Hidekazu Nogami, Koyo Yamamoto
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Patent number: 8447206Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium, wherein a first gas is generated during image formation, and a fixing unit configured to fix the image onto the recording medium by heat, wherein a second gas is generated during image fixing by heat. A body includes a chamber and an opening through which the first gas and the second gas are guided into the chamber to be mixed into a gas mixture. A fan discharges the gas mixture from the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2010Date of Patent: May 21, 2013Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Koyo Yamamoto, Hidekazu Nogami
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Publication number: 20120086751Abstract: A liquid ejection head, wherein recessed portions are formed in an ejection face such that, where, in the one direction, a distance D1 is a distance between (i) a one-side portion of an opening end of one recessed portion and (ii) an other-side portion of an opening end of another recessed portion adjacent to the one recessed portion on one side thereof and where a distance D2 is a distance between (i) an other-side portion of the opening end of the one recessed portion and (ii) a one-side portion of an opening end of another recessed portion adjacent to the one recessed portion on the other side thereof, a large-and-small relationship of an average value of the distances D1, D2 of a second recessed portion with respect to that of a first recessed portion is the same as a large-and-small relationship of a cross-sectional area of the first recessed portion with respect to that of the second recessed portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2011Publication date: April 12, 2012Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hikaru NAKAMOTO, Manabu HIBI, Hidekazu NOGAMI
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Publication number: 20110103820Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium, wherein a first gas is generated during image formation, and a fixing unit configured to fix the image onto the recording medium by heat, wherein a second gas is generated during image fixing by heat. A body includes a chamber and an opening through which the first gas and the second gas are guided into the chamber to be mixed into a gas mixture. A fan discharges the gas mixture from the chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2010Publication date: May 5, 2011Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Koyo Yamamoto, Hidekazu Nogami
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Patent number: 7593663Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive element; a charger for electrically charging the photosensitive element; an exposure device for scanning laser light across the photosensitive element that has been electrically charged by the charger; an exposure window positioned away from the exposure device for a predetermined distance and through which the laser light passes; and an exhaust fan for drawing air between the exposure device and the exposure window toward the charger and discharging the air from the image forming apparatus. The exposure window is defined by a plurality of walls, in which a first wall that is the farthest wall from the charger and a second wall that is the nearest wall from the charger satisfy a formula: A<B, where A is a distance between the first wall and the exposure device, and B is a distance between the second wall and the exposure device.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2007Date of Patent: September 22, 2009Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hidekazu Nogami
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Publication number: 20080101816Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive element; a charger for electrically charging the photosensitive element; an exposure device for scanning laser light across the photosensitive element that has been electrically charged by the charger; an exposure window positioned away from the exposure device for a predetermined distance and through which the laser light passes; and an exhaust fan for drawing air between the exposure device and the exposure window toward the charger and discharging the air from the image forming apparatus. The exposure window is defined by a plurality of walls, in which a first wall that is the farthest wall from the charger and a second wall that is the nearest wall from the charger satisfy a formula: A<B, where A is a distance between the first wall and the exposure device, and B is a distance between the second wall and the exposure device.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2007Publication date: May 1, 2008Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Hidekazu NOGAMI