Patents by Inventor Kenji Kuroda
Kenji Kuroda 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: 11945673Abstract: A document feeder includes a document placing tray on which a document is placed; a document discharging tray on which a document discharged from a document discharging port in a discharging direction is stacked; and a light source that radiates light to the document discharging tray. The document discharging tray is disposed below the document placing tray. The document discharging tray has a protruding portion protruding upward from the surrounding area. The light source is disposed within a region having a width that is the same as a document having a maximum size in the width direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2023Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shohichi Fukutome, Kenji Kuroda, Hironori Ogasawara, Hisashi Yamanaka, Toshiki Fukunishi
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Publication number: 20240099143Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric stack including: a substrate (1); a bottom electrode film (2) on the substrate; a piezoelectric film (3) on the bottom electrode film, having a planar area smaller than a planar area of the bottom electrode film; a top electrode film (4) on the piezoelectric film; and an insulating film (5) provided from the top electrode film to the bottom electrode film and covering at least a part of a side surface of the piezoelectric film, wherein the insulating film has a slope (9a) filling a step between a top surface of the top electrode film and a top surface of the bottom electrode film, and the slope has a shape alleviating the step.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2022Publication date: March 21, 2024Applicant: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITEDInventors: Toshiaki KURODA, Kenji SHIBATA, Kazutoshi WATANABE, Takeshi KIMURA
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Patent number: 11878884Abstract: A document feed device including a document tray and a document guide. The document guide has a document guide side document loader and a document guide member. The document tray includes a groove. The document guide, at an end of the document guide side document loader in the width direction, includes: a scooper, and an upstream outline portion that is formed so as to gradually approach the document guide member toward an upstream side in the conveying direction with the scooper as an apex.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2021Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Kenji Kuroda
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Patent number: 11702305Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a pickup roller, a lifting/lowering mechanism, and a driver device. The lifting/lowering mechanism includes a restricting member that releasably restricts the pickup roller from being lowered from a lifted position of the pickup roller at the lifted position. In the sheet feeding device, the driver device drives the lifting/lowering mechanism so that the pickup roller is lowered from the lifted position of the pickup roller, and a drive suspend operation is performed in which the driving of the lifting/lowering mechanism by driver device is suspended after a predetermined time during which the pickup roller does not contact a sheet loading tray or a sheet on the sheet loading tray elapses from a time point when the pickup roller is released from being restricted by the restricting member at the lifted position.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2020Date of Patent: July 18, 2023Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kenji Kuroda, Hironori Ogasawara, Yasumasa Morimoto, Toshiki Fukunishi
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Publication number: 20230213125Abstract: A pinch valve 1 comprises a tube body 3 made of an elastic material having a flow path formed inside, a pressing part 4, a rod member 6 attached to a front end of the pressing part 4, and a coupling part 35 provided on the outer surface of the tube body 3 and coupling the rod member 6 to the tube body 3 in a transverse arrangement with respect to the tube body 3, wherein pressing or releasing the tube body 3 by the pressing part 4 through the rod member 6 makes the tube body 3 deform and opens or closes the flow path.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2021Publication date: July 6, 2023Applicant: ASAHI YUKIZAI CORPORATIONInventors: Yukinobu SATO, Kenji KURODA
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Publication number: 20230192433Abstract: A document feeder includes a document placing tray on which a document is placed; a document discharging tray on which a document discharged from a document discharging port in a discharging direction is stacked; and a light source that radiates light to the document discharging tray. The document discharging tray is disposed below the document placing tray. The document discharging tray has a protruding portion protruding upward from the surrounding area. The light source is disposed within a region having a width that is the same as a document having a maximum size in the width direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2023Publication date: June 22, 2023Inventors: SHOHICHI FUKUTOME, KENJI KURODA, HIRONORI OGASAWARA, HISASHI YAMANAKA, TOSHIKI FUKUNISHI
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Publication number: 20230173907Abstract: In a vibration damping device, a main rubber elastic body has a truncated cone shape and includes a recess open to a lower surface. A central axis of an inner member is arranged eccentric with respect to a central axis of an outer cylindrical member in an axis-perpendicular direction. The main rubber elastic body that connects the inner member and the outer cylindrical member has different free lengths on one side and the other side in an eccentric direction. A continuous rubber that covers a lower end of the inner member without exposing the lower end of the inner member to the recess and connects the main rubber elastic body on one side in the eccentric direction and the main rubber elastic body on the other side in the eccentric direction is integrally formed with the main rubber elastic body.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2023Publication date: June 8, 2023Applicant: Sumitomo Riko Company LimitedInventors: Takayoshi YASUDA, Kenji KURODA, Takaya ITO
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Patent number: 11608241Abstract: A document feeder includes a document placing tray on which a document is placed; a document discharging tray on which a document discharged from a document discharging port in a discharging direction is stacked; and a light source that radiates light to the document discharging tray. The document discharging tray is disposed below the document placing tray. The document discharging tray has a protruding portion protruding upward from the surrounding area. The light source is disposed within a region having a width that is the same as a document having a maximum size in the width direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2022Date of Patent: March 21, 2023Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shohichi Fukutome, Kenji Kuroda, Hironori Ogasawara, Hisashi Yamanaka, Toshiki Fukunishi
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Publication number: 20230020695Abstract: A fluid-filled vibration damping device including a movable film housed within a housing space of a partition partitioning a pressure receiving chamber and an equilibrium chamber. An outer peripheral end of the movable film includes a contact part and a sealing part being respectively in contact with a pressure receiving chamber-side wall inner surface and an equilibrium chamber-side wall inner surface of the housing space. A communication passage, which communicates with a gap circumferentially between the movable film and the housing space, is provided away from the contact part in the outer peripheral end of the movable film. The outer peripheral end of the movable film will be separated from the equilibrium chamber-side wall inner surface due to a pressure differential arising between the two chambers so as to form a relief passage interconnecting the two chambers including the gap and the communication passage.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2022Publication date: January 19, 2023Applicant: SUMITOMO RIKO COMPANY LIMITEDInventors: Kenji KURODA, Takayoshi YASUDA
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Publication number: 20220219933Abstract: A document feeder includes a document placing tray on which a document is placed; a document discharging tray on which a document discharged from a document discharging port in a discharging direction is stacked; and a light source that radiates light to the document discharging tray. The document discharging tray is disposed below the document placing tray. The document discharging tray has a protruding portion protruding upward from the surrounding area. The light source is disposed within a region having a width that is the same as a document having a maximum size in the width direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2022Publication date: July 14, 2022Inventors: SHOHICHI FUKUTOME, KENJI KURODA, HIRONORI OGASAWARA, HISASHI YAMANAKA, TOSHIKI FUKUNISHI
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Patent number: 11319180Abstract: A document feeder includes a document placing tray on which a document is placed; a document discharging tray on which a document discharged from a document discharging port in a discharging direction is stacked; and a light source that radiates light to the document discharging tray. The document discharging tray is disposed below the document placing tray. The document discharging tray has a protruding portion protruding upward from the surrounding area. The light source is disposed within a region having a width that is the same as a document having a maximum size in the width direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2019Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shohichi Fukutome, Kenji Kuroda, Hironori Ogasawara, Hisashi Yamanaka, Toshiki Fukunishi
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Publication number: 20220089388Abstract: A document feed device including a document tray and a document guide. The document guide has a document guide side document loader and a document guide member. The document tray includes a groove. The document guide, at an end of the document guide side document loader in the width direction, includes: a scooper, and an upstream outline portion that is formed so as to gradually approach the document guide member toward an upstream side in the conveying direction with the scooper as an apex.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2021Publication date: March 24, 2022Inventor: KENJI KURODA
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Publication number: 20210221633Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a pickup roller, a lifting/lowering mechanism, and a driver device. The lifting/lowering mechanism includes a restricting member that releasably restricts the pickup roller from being lowered from a lifted position of the pickup roller at the lifted position. In the sheet feeding device, the driver device drives the lifting/lowering mechanism so that the pickup roller is lowered from the lifted position of the pickup roller, and a drive suspend operation is performed in which the driving of the lifting/lowering mechanism by driver device is suspended after a predetermined time during which the pickup roller does not contact a sheet loading tray or a sheet on the sheet loading tray elapses from a time point when the pickup roller is released from being restricted by the restricting member at the lifted position.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2020Publication date: July 22, 2021Inventors: KENJI KURODA, HIRONORI OGASAWARA, YASUMASA MORIMOTO, TOSHIKI FUKUNISHI
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Patent number: 10893159Abstract: A document feeder includes an input tray (part of a document placing portion) on which a document is placed, an output tray on which the document output from a document output port in an output direction is stacked, and a substrate including a light source that emits light to the output tray. The output tray is disposed below the input tray. The substrate is fixed to the document placing portion at an oblique angle relative to a horizontal reference of the document feeder such that the optical axis of the light source extends toward the document output port.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2019Date of Patent: January 12, 2021Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kenji Kuroda, Shohichi Fukutome, Hironori Ogasawara, Hisashi Yamanaka, Toshiki Fukunishi
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Patent number: 10701227Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes an image-reading unit. The image-reading unit includes a first member and a second member. The image-reading unit includes an original-document-feeding apparatus that conveys an original document from an original-document-loading tray to a discharge tray via a read position. In the first member and the second member, a first conveyance passage along which the original document is conveyed to the read position and a second conveyance passage along which the original document is conveyed from the read position to the discharge tray are formed. The second member includes at least two conveyance rollers. Between the two conveyance rollers, there are opening edges for partly allowing access to the second conveyance passage. The second member includes a lid for covering an opening that is defined by the opening edges.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2018Date of Patent: June 30, 2020Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kenji Kuroda, Yasumasa Morimoto
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Publication number: 20200122944Abstract: A document feeder includes a document placing tray on which a document is placed; a document discharging tray on which a document discharged from a document discharging port in a discharging direction is stacked; and a light source that radiates light to the document discharging tray. The document discharging tray is disposed below the document placing tray. The document discharging tray has a protruding portion protruding upward from the surrounding area. The light source is disposed within a region having a width that is the same as a document having a maximum size in the width direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2019Publication date: April 23, 2020Inventors: SHOHICHI FUKUTOME, KENJI KURODA, HIRONORI OGASAWARA, HISASHI YAMANAKA, TOSHIKI FUKUNISHI
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Publication number: 20200128138Abstract: A document feeder includes an input tray (part of a document placing portion) on which a document is placed, an output tray on which the document output from a document output port in an output direction is stacked, and a substrate including a light source that emits light to the output tray. The output tray is disposed below the input tray. The substrate is fixed to the document placing portion at an oblique angle relative to a horizontal reference of the document feeder such that the optical axis of the light source extends toward the document output port.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2019Publication date: April 23, 2020Inventors: KENJI KURODA, SHOHICHI FUKUTOME, HIRONORI OGASAWARA, HISASHI YAMANAKA, TOSHIKI FUKUNISHI
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Publication number: 20190199873Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes an image-reading unit. The image-reading unit includes a first member and a second member. The image-reading unit includes an original-document-feeding apparatus that conveys an original document from an original-document-loading tray to a discharge tray via a read position. In the first member and the second member, a first conveyance passage along which the original document is conveyed to the read position and a second conveyance passage along which the original document is conveyed from the read position to the discharge tray are formed. The second member includes at least two conveyance rollers. Between the two conveyance rollers, there are opening edges for partly allowing access to the second conveyance passage. The second member includes a lid for covering an opening that is defined by the opening edges.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2018Publication date: June 27, 2019Inventors: KENJI KURODA, YASUMASA MORIMOTO
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Publication number: 20180031069Abstract: A tubular vibration-damping device including: an inner axial member; an outer tubular member; and a main rubber elastic body connecting an outer peripheral surface of the inner axial member and an inner peripheral surface of the outer tubular member, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the inner axial member has an irregular shape including both lateral side faces with which a width of the inner axial member gets narrower in a lower side than in an upper side for an axis-perpendicular direction, and an inclination angle of a direction of each of the lateral side faces with which the width of the inner axial member gets narrower is larger in the lower side than in the upper side, and the lateral side faces respectively have groove-shaped concave portions formed extending continuously from the upper side to the lower side.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2017Publication date: February 1, 2018Applicant: SUMITOMO RIKO COMPANY LIMITEDInventors: Kenji KURODA, Motohiro KAWAI
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Patent number: 8746686Abstract: When a first elapse time ?t3 from time point t1 of stop of a transport motor reaches a first specified time S1, a registration roller electromagnetic clutch is engaged. At time point t2 at which the first elapse time ?t3 reaches 50 ms, normal rotation of the transport motor is started. At time point t3 at which a second elapse time ?t4 from the time point t2 reaches a second specified time S2 (a given length of time), a reverse roller electromagnetic clutch is switched from an engaged state to a disengaged state, rendering reverse rollers and sheet discharge rollers freely rotatable. At subsequent time point t4, a coil of a solenoid is de-energized, to separate the reverse rollers from each other.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2012Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masato Tamehira, Yasumasa Morimoto, Kenji Kuroda