Patents by Inventor Hisayuki Tachibana

Hisayuki Tachibana 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: 9612567
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive bodies, a plurality of illumination units respectively opposed to the plurality of photosensitive bodies, and each configured to emit static eliminating light onto a surface of the corresponding photosensitive body, a light emitter that serves as light source, a light guide unit that guides light from the light emitter toward the plurality of illumination units, a driving mechanism that switches between allowing the illumination unit to emit light and restricting the illumination unit from emitting light, to the photosensitive body, and a control unit that causes the driving mechanism to allow the illumination unit opposed to the photosensitive body being used for image forming to emit light to the photosensitive body, and restrict the illumination unit opposed to the photosensitive body not being used for the image forming from emitting light to the photosensitive body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Hironobu Oi, Hisayuki Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20160282752
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive bodies, a plurality of illumination units respectively opposed to the plurality of photosensitive bodies, and each configured to emit static eliminating light onto a surface of the corresponding photosensitive body, a light emitter that serves as light source, a light guide unit that guides light from the light emitter toward the plurality of illumination units, a driving mechanism that switches between allowing the illumination unit to emit light and restricting the illumination unit from emitting light, to the photosensitive body, and a control unit that causes the driving mechanism to allow the illumination unit opposed to the photosensitive body being used for image forming to emit light to the photosensitive body, and restrict the illumination unit opposed to the photosensitive body not being used for the image forming from emitting light to the photosensitive body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Hironobu OI, Hisayuki TACHIBANA
  • Patent number: 9405262
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming units that charge a surface of a photoconductor to form an image, a static eliminator that outputs static elimination light to eliminate a charge remaining on the photoconductor after image formation by the image forming unit, and a controller that controls the image forming unit and the static eliminator. The static eliminator includes a light source that emits the static elimination light, a light guide unit that guides the static elimination light from the light source to the photoconductors, and outputs the guided static elimination light to surface of the photoconductors, and a light shield unit provided inside the light guide unit, or between the light guide unit and the photoconductors in an optical path between the light source and the surface of each of the photoconductors, and configured to transmit or block the static elimination light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Hironobu Oi, Hisayuki Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20160062261
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming units that charge a surface of a photoconductor to form an image, a static eliminator that outputs static elimination light to eliminate a charge remaining on the photoconductor after image formation by the image forming unit, and a controller that controls the image forming unit and the static eliminator. The static eliminator includes a light source that emits the static elimination light, a light guide unit that guides the static elimination light from the light source to the photoconductors, and outputs the guided static elimination light to surface of the photoconductors, and a light shield unit provided inside the light guide unit, or between the light guide unit and the photoconductors in an optical path between the light source and the surface of each of the photoconductors, and configured to transmit or block the static elimination light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Hironobu Oi, Hisayuki Tachibana
  • Patent number: 5508792
    Abstract: A developing unit comprises a developer container having an agitation space for agitating developer therein and a toner hopper for feeding toner to the agitation space of the developer container. A lower wall of the toner hopper includes a toner drop port allowing toner to fall into the aforesaid agitation space. On a surface of the lower wall exposed to the agitation space, disposed is a partition wall surrounding the periphery of the toner drop port. The partition wall defines a non-agitation space. The toner is allowed to fall from the toner drop port smoothly into the agitation space through the non-agitation space which is not affected by the agitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoyuki Ishida, Tadakazu Ogiri, Koichi Yasuda, Hisayuki Tachibana