Patents by Inventor Hideyuki Hiro

Hideyuki Hiro 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: 11825047
    Abstract: According to an automatic document feeder of a multifunction peripheral according to the present invention, two tilt sensors are provided in the middle of a document conveyance path to detect a tilt degree of a document being conveyed along the document conveyance path. Here, for example, if the positional deviation representing the tilt degree of the document is greater than a predetermined threshold value ?Ls, the conveyance of the document is stopped. On the other hand, if this is not the case, the conveyance of the document is continued. In addition, the threshold value is set in accordance with the width dimension of the document, and in particular, the larger the width dimension, the smaller the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideyuki Hiro
  • Patent number: 11665297
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes a document loading detector, a document feeder, a document guide, a guide width measurer, a document width acquirer, a guide shift determiner, a document skew detector, a skew determiner, a warning display information generator, and a display. When a detected skew of a document is determined to be unallowable, the document feeder stops a feeding of the document. The warning display information generator generates a warning content about a feed trouble that stopped the feeding of the document, and the generated warning content about the feed trouble is displayed on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideyuki Hiro
  • Patent number: 11601563
    Abstract: An untaken sheet notification device to notify that the sheet is untaken from an ejection tray if an ejection tray sensor that detects presence or absence of the sheet on the ejection tray detects presence of the sheet, after a sheet is ejected, a document feeder, and an image forming apparatus include a counter that counts the number of the ejected sheets and a notification controller that performs a specific notification control to notify that the sheet is untaken if the number of the sheets counted by the counter is equal to or less than a predetermined reference number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideyuki Hiro
  • Publication number: 20220086296
    Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes a document loading detector, a document feeder, a document guide, a guide width measurer, a document width acquirer, a guide shift determiner, a document skew detector, a skew determiner, a warning display information generator, and a display. When a detected skew of a document is determined to be unallowable, the document feeder stops a feeding of the document. The warning display information generator generates a warning content about a feed trouble that stopped the feeding of the document, and the generated warning content about the feed trouble is displayed on the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventor: HIDEYUKI HIRO
  • Publication number: 20220060590
    Abstract: According to an automatic document feeder of a multifunction peripheral according to the present invention, two tilt sensors are provided in the middle of a document conveyance path to detect a tilt degree of a document being conveyed along the document conveyance path. Here, for example, if the positional deviation representing the tilt degree of the document is greater than a predetermined threshold value ?Ls, the conveyance of the document is stopped. On the other hand, if this is not the case, the conveyance of the document is continued. In addition, the threshold value is set in accordance with the width dimension of the document, and in particular, the larger the width dimension, the smaller the threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventor: HIDEYUKI HIRO
  • Patent number: 10961069
    Abstract: When an open hole is detected at the front end of a sheet at a conveyance start position, a registration operation to correct a tilt posture of the sheet is avoided, and the present velocity is retrained to convey the sheet without temporarily stopping the sheet having the tilt posture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideyuki Hiro
  • Patent number: 10917528
    Abstract: Provided is an image reading device includes a document transport device that sequentially transports a plurality of documents one by one, and the image reading device sequentially reads the plurality of documents transported by the document transport device one by one. The image reading device includes a document discharge tray, a document discharge detector that detects whether or not a document of the plurality of documents is discharged to the document discharge tray, a notifier that notifies that the document of the plurality of documents discharged to the document discharge tray is forgotten to take, and a controller that activates the notifier if it is determined that a last document among the plurality of documents is read and the document discharge detector detects that the document of the plurality of documents is discharged to the document discharge tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuma Ogawa, Hideyuki Hiro, Masahiro Kawano, Masayuki Furusawa
  • Publication number: 20200407184
    Abstract: When an open hole is detected at the front end of a sheet at a conveyance start position, a registration operation to correct a tilt posture of the sheet is avoided, and the present velocity is retrained to convey the sheet without temporarily stopping the sheet having the tilt posture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Inventor: HIDEYUKI HIRO
  • Publication number: 20200322495
    Abstract: An untaken sheet notification device to notify that the sheet is untaken from an ejection tray if an ejection tray sensor that detects presence or absence of the sheet on the ejection tray detects presence of the sheet, after a sheet is ejected, a document feeder, and an image forming apparatus include a counter that counts the number of the ejected sheets and a notification controller that performs a specific notification control to notify that the sheet is untaken if the number of the sheets counted by the counter is equal to or less than a predetermined reference number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventor: HIDEYUKI HIRO
  • Publication number: 20200153977
    Abstract: Provided is an image reading device includes a document transport device that sequentially transports a plurality of documents one by one, and the image reading device sequentially reads the plurality of documents transported by the document transport device one by one. The image reading device includes a document discharge tray, a document discharge detector that detects whether or not a document of the plurality of documents is discharged to the document discharge tray, a notifier that notifies that the document of the plurality of documents discharged to the document discharge tray is forgotten to take, and a controller that activates the notifier if it is determined that a last document among the plurality of documents is read and the document discharge detector detects that the document of the plurality of documents is discharged to the document discharge tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: KAZUMA OGAWA, HIDEYUKI HIRO, MASAHIRO KAWANO, MASAYUKI FURUSAWA
  • Patent number: 9900457
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a power-saving mode in which the image forming apparatus is switched from a normal power consumption state to a low power consumption state where less energy is supplied than in the normal power consumption state. This image forming apparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect an operating state of the image forming apparatus, and a memory unit configured to store a detection result by the detection unit. In the power-saving mode, the detection unit detects an operating state of the image forming apparatus, and the memory unit stores a detection result by the detection unit. When the image forming apparatus returns from the low power consumption state in the power-saving mode to the normal power consumption state, control of a return operation for the image forming apparatus from the power-saving mode is executed, based on the detection result by the detection unit stored in the memory unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasumasa Morimoto, Hideyuki Hiro
  • Publication number: 20170111535
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a power-saving mode in which the image forming apparatus is switched from a normal power consumption state to a low power consumption state where less energy is supplied than in the normal power consumption state. This image forming apparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect an operating state of the image forming apparatus, and a memory unit configured to store a detection result by the detection unit. In the power-saving mode, the detection unit detects an operating state of the image forming apparatus, and the memory unit stores a detection result by the detection unit. When the image forming apparatus returns from the low power consumption state in the power-saving mode to the normal power consumption state, control of a return operation for the image forming apparatus from the power-saving mode is executed, based on the detection result by the detection unit stored in the memory unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Inventors: Yasumasa MORIMOTO, Hideyuki HIRO
  • Patent number: 8922850
    Abstract: Contamination of a reading window is detected between documents by a contamination detection section when a plurality of sheets of documents are transferred and a transferred document is read through a reading window, transfer of the document is stopped by a stopping section based on the detection result, and a corresponding purport is displayed on a display section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideyuki Hiro
  • Patent number: 8366096
    Abstract: A document reader has a main conveying path, an auxiliary conveying path, a pickup roller, a first conveying roller, and a second conveying roller. The auxiliary conveying path runs between a first connection point and a second connection point on the main conveying path. The cylindrical surface of the first conveying roller is located partially on the main conveying path and partially on the auxiliary conveying path. While the first conveying roller is under the forward or reverse control, it rotates normally. The cylindrical surface of the second conveying roller is located partially on the main conveying path between the second connection point and a discharge position. A controller switches from the forward control selected during this mode to the reverse control, while a document being conveyed along the main conveying path is out of contact with the first conveying roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Mizude, Kenji Tanaka, Hideyuki Hiro, Daisuke Mukaiyama, Tomohiko Okada
  • Patent number: 8274711
    Abstract: When reading of the documents set on the document feed tray is given priority by user designation, the documents set on the document feed tray are read first, then the document set on the platen plate is read. When reading of the document set on the platen plate is given priority, the document set on the platen plate is read first, then the documents set on the document feed tray are read. Even when originals are composed of documents that can be set on the document feed tray and an original that cannot be set on the document feed tray, use of the above configuration makes it possible to achieve copying of the originals as one job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideyuki Hiro
  • Patent number: 8016284
    Abstract: An operation of a pickup roller to be performed upon powering on or after paper jam elimination is adjusted according the presence or absence of a document on a document sheet support. When the document is absent on the sheet support, the pickup roller is moved down sufficiently and then moved up by a first distance to assume an upper limit position. When the document is present on the sheet support, the pickup roller is moved up by a second distance which is shorter than the first distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Tanaka, Hideyuki Hiro
  • Publication number: 20100052249
    Abstract: An operation of a pickup roller to be performed upon powering on or after paper jam elimination is adjusted according the presence or absence of a document on a document sheet support. When the document is absent on the sheet support, the pickup roller is moved down sufficiently and then moved up by a first distance to assume an upper limit position. When the document is present on the sheet support, the pickup roller is moved up by a second distance which is shorter than the first distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Kenji TANAKA, Hideyuki Hiro
  • Patent number: 7667861
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a plurality of image data acquisition units for respectively acquiring one or more page(s) of image data; a color or monochrome determining unit for determining whether each of the acquired pages is in color or in monochrome; an image forming unit for performing image formation of each page switchably using a monochrome-only image forming function for a monochrome page or a color and monochrome image forming function for a color page and a monochrome page; an image data switching unit for sequentially selecting and arranging the acquired pages of image data one by one so that the image formation of each page is performed in the order of selection; a function selecting unit for selecting either one of the monochrome-only and color and monochrome image forming functions for each of the arranged pages on the basis of the determination result made by the color or monochrome determining unit; and a control unit for controlling the image forming unit so that image formation of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Umetani, Kenji Tanaka, Kazuhiro Mizude, Hideyuki Hiro
  • Publication number: 20100001453
    Abstract: A document reader has a main conveying path, an auxiliary conveying path, a pickup roller, a first conveying roller, and a second conveying roller. The auxiliary conveying path runs between a first connection point and a second connection point on the main conveying path. The cylindrical surface of the first conveying roller is located partially on the main conveying path and partially on the auxiliary conveying path. While the first conveying roller is under the forward or reverse control, it rotates normally. The cylindrical surface of the second conveying roller is located partially on the main conveying path between the second connection point and a discharge position. A controller switches from the forward control selected during this mode to the reverse control, while a document being conveyed along the main conveying path is out of contact with the first conveying roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Mizude, Kenji Tanaka, Hideyuki Hiro, Daisuke Mukaiyama, Tomohiko Okada
  • Publication number: 20090237718
    Abstract: When reading of the documents set on the document feed tray is given priority by user designation, the documents set on the document feed tray are read first, then the document set on the platen plate is read. When reading of the document set on the platen plate is given priority, the document set on the platen plate is read first, then the documents set on the document feed tray are read. Even when originals are composed of documents that can be set on the document feed tray and an original that cannot be set on the document feed tray, use of the above configuration makes it possible to achieve copying of the originals as one job.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideyuki Hiro