Patents by Inventor Makoto Hirota

Makoto Hirota 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: 8676097
    Abstract: A developing device includes a first developing member rotating such that a moving direction of a portion opposing the image carrier is opposite a moving direction of the image carrier. A second developing member is provided on a downstream side of the first developing member in a rotating direction of the image carrier rotating such that a moving direction of a portion opposing the image carrier is the same as the moving direction of the image carries. A distributing member is supported movably relative to a proximal portion where the first developing member is closest to the second developing member so as to distribute developer to the first and second developing members by contact with the developer, and a biasing member biases the distributing member upstream in the rotating direction of the first developing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Hirota, Jun Abe, Shota Oba, Takashi Ochi, Miho Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8660470
    Abstract: A developing device includes first and second developer carriers facing each other in a facing region, a regulating member that regulates a layer thickness of developer, and a separation member. The first and second developer carriers respectively include first and second magnetic members that are respectively magnetized with first and second facing magnetic poles having opposite polarities. The separation member separates the developer so that the developer is supplied toward the first and second developer carriers. The separation member is disposed such that distances between the separation member and the first and second developer carriers are the smallest in a region in which a magnitude of a combined magnetic field of the first and second magnetic poles locally decreases as compared with a case where at least one of the first and second developer carriers is independently disposed due to interaction between the first and second facing magnetic poles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Watanabe, Makoto Hirota, Tomoyuki Yoshii, Jun Abe, Yasuaki Watanabe, Shinichi Kuramoto, Kunihiko Sato
  • Patent number: 8638335
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store information representing a plurality of screens in each of a plurality of groups to which priorities are previously set, a determination unit configured to determine a group which is assigned the highest priority, and a control unit configured to display on a display unit a representative screen of the group assigned the highest priority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Hirota, Kenichiro Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20130302068
    Abstract: A developing device includes a first developing member that rotates in a manner such that a moving direction of a portion opposing the image carrier is opposite a moving direction of the image carrier, a second developing member provided on a downstream side of the first developing member in a rotating direction of the image carrier and rotates in a manner such that a moving direction of a portion opposing the image carrier is the same as the moving direction of the image carrier, a distributing member supported movably relative to a proximal portion where the first developing member is closest to the second developing member so as to distribute developer to the first and second developing members by contact with the developer, and an a biasing member that biases the distributing member upstream in the rotating direction of the first developing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Makoto HIROTA, Jun Abe, Shota Oba, Takashi Ochi, Miho Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20130195501
    Abstract: A developing device includes : a first developing body that develops a developing agent image on a development surface using a developing agent; a second developing body that develops a developing agent image on the development surface using the developing agent; and a sealing member that is disposed between a region where a first delivery pole and a second delivery pole are opposed to each other and the development surface, and adjacently to the first developing body and the second developing body at distances so small that developing agents formed as magnetic brushes on a first conveyance pole and a second conveyance pole respectively can touch the sealing member to secure sealing to prevent the developing agent from leaking to the outside of a device body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi FUNADA, Keisuke KUBO, Ryuji HATTORI, Keisuke UCHIYAMA, Makoto HIROTA, Masanori KATO
  • Publication number: 20130164042
    Abstract: A developing device includes first and second developer carriers facing each other in a facing region, a regulating member that regulates a layer thickness of developer, and a separation member. The first and second developer carriers respectively include first and second magnetic members that are respectively magnetized with first and second facing magnetic poles having opposite polarities. The separation member separates the developer so that the developer is supplied toward the first and second developer carriers. The separation member is disposed such that distances between the separation member and the first and second developer carriers are the smallest in a region in which a magnitude of a combined magnetic field of the first and second magnetic poles locally decreases as compared with a case where at least one of the first and second developer carriers is independently disposed due to interaction between the first and second facing magnetic poles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoichi WATANABE, Makoto HIROTA, Tomoyuki YOSHII, Jun ABE, Yasuaki WATANABE, Shinichi KURAMOTO, Kunihiko SATO
  • Patent number: 8331832
    Abstract: A developing device includes: a first-developer-holding-member facing a surface of a rotating latent image carrier, it rotating such that a moving direction thereof is opposite to that of the carrier at a portion where they face; a second-developer-holding-member provided at a downstream-side of the first-developer-holding-member in a direction in which the carrier rotates, and facing the surface of the carrier, it rotating such that a moving direction thereof is the same as that of the carrier at a portion where they face; a ratio of circumferential speeds of the first-developer-holding-member and the second-developer-holding-member being variable; a splitting member that splits a developer for the first-developer-holding-member and the second-developer-holding-member by hitting against the developer located between the first-developer-holding-member and the second-developer-holding-member; a moving unit that moves the splitting member; and a control unit that controls the moving unit to move the splitting m
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Miho Ikeda, Makoto Hirota, Jun Abe, Shota Oba, Takashi Ochi
  • Patent number: 8297826
    Abstract: Provided is a backlight unit capable of reducing luminance unevenness. The backlight unit includes a plurality of dot light sources and a light guide plate in which a predetermined side surface serves as a light incident surface for introducing light from the plurality of dot light sources. The plurality of dot light sources are classified into a first light source group and a second light source group. A mount point of the first light source group and a mount point of the second light source group are displaced from each other in a thickness direction of the light guide plate. A total luminance of the first light source group is higher than a total luminance of the second light source group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Murakoshi, Tsuyoshi Ono, Hidekazu Fujii, Yasuaki Hirano, Makoto Hirota
  • Publication number: 20120256964
    Abstract: An information processing method enlarges or reduces and displays an area of a part of image data, displayed on a display unit, in response to a user's operation and determines, based on objects included in the enlarged or reduced and displayed area and on objects included in a plurality of image data pieces, a display order of the plurality of image data pieces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Makoto Hirota, Motoki Nakama
  • Patent number: 8046231
    Abstract: An speech processing apparatus comprises a setting unit that sets an association between a speech recognition target vocabulary and the shortcut data for transitioning to a state to which a transition is made, when a user makes a transition to a state among the plurality of states using an operation input unit, an speech input unit that inputs an audio, a speech recognition unit that employs the speech recognition target vocabulary to recognize the audio that is input via the speech input unit, and a control unit that employs the shortcut data that corresponds to the speech recognition target vocabulary that is a recognition result of the speech recognition unit to transition to the state, in order to improve speech recognition accuracy for audio shortcuts, while also preserving the convenience of the audio shortcuts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Hirota, Toshiaki Fukada
  • Publication number: 20110242714
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device of the invention can reduce a manufacturing cost and achieve size reduction without degrading performances. The semiconductor integrated circuit device includes an internal circuit and at least one input/output circuit. Each input/output circuit is adapted to feed an input signal from outside to the internal circuit and to output an output signal from the internal circuit to the outside. The semiconductor integrated circuit device also includes at least one first power source terminal. Each first power source terminal is associated with each input/output circuit for supplying a drive voltage to the internal circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit device also includes at lease one second power source terminal. Each second power source terminal is associated with each input/output circuit for supplying a drive voltage to the associated input/output circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit device also includes at least one common ground terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: OKI SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Makoto Hirota
  • Publication number: 20110229215
    Abstract: A developing device includes a first developing member that rotates in a manner such that a moving direction of a portion opposing the image carrier is opposite a moving direction of the image carrier, a second developing member provided on a downstream side of the first developing member in a rotating direction of the image carrier and rotates in a manner such that a moving direction of a portion opposing the image carrier is the same as the moving direction of the image carrier, a distributing member supported movably relative to a proximal portion where the first developing member is closest to the second developing member so as to distribute developer to the first and second developing members by contact with the developer, and an a biasing member that biases the distributing member upstream in the rotating direction of the first developing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Hirota, Jun Abe, Shota Oba, Takashi Ochi, Miho Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20110222918
    Abstract: A developing device includes: a first-developer-holding-member facing a surface of a rotating latent image carrier, it rotating such that a moving direction thereof is opposite to that of the carrier at a portion where they face; a second-developer-holding-member provided at a downstream-side of the first-developer-holding-member in a direction in which the carrier rotates, and facing the surface of the carrier, it rotating such that a moving direction thereof is the same as that of the carrier at a portion where they face; a ratio of circumferential speeds of the first-developer-holding-member and the second-developer-holding-member being variable; a splitting member that splits a developer for the first-developer-holding-member and the second-developer-holding-member by hitting against the developer located between the first-developer-holding-member and the second-developer-holding-member; a moving unit that moves the splitting member; and a control unit that controls the moving unit to move the splitting m
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2010
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Miho IKEDA, Makoto HIROTA, Jun ABE, Shota OBA, Takashi OCHI
  • Publication number: 20110199790
    Abstract: Provided is a backlight unit capable of reducing luminance unevenness. The backlight unit includes a plurality of dot light sources and a light guide plate in which a predetermined side surface serves as a light incident surface for introducing light from the plurality of dot light sources. The plurality of dot light sources are classified into a first light source group and a second light source group. A mount point of the first light source group and a mount point of the second light source group are displaced from each other in a thickness direction of the light guide plate. A total luminance of the first light source group is higher than a total luminance of the second light source group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Inventors: Kenichi MURAKOSHI, Tsuyoshi Ono, Hidekazu Fujii, Yasuaki Hirano, Makoto Hirota
  • Patent number: 7983921
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus whereby advice having appropriate content can be given at an appropriate timing with regard to a method of user utterance, thereby making it possible to reduce the probability of misrecognition due to the method of utterance. An execution unit executes processing that conforms to the result of speech recognition. An analyzing unit analyzes the suitability of input speech for the speech recognition. A cancel instruction unit inputs an instruction to cancel the processing that has been executed by the execution unit. In response to the cancel instruction, a notification unit notifies the user of guidance related to speech input, based upon the result of the analysis unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Hirota, Toshiaki Fukada
  • Publication number: 20110157188
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises: a storage unit adapted to store information that associates information representing the key frame with information representing the display form of the object of the key frame; an assignment unit adapted to assign, to the time-points corresponding to the key frames, indicators with which a difference between the display forms of the objects is identifiable; and a control unit adapted to, when a new key frame is set at a time-point of interest on the time axis where no key frame is preset, and the same indicator as one of the indicators is assigned to the time-point of interest, cause the storage unit to store information representing the newly set key frame in association with information representing the display form of the object of each preset key frame, which is information representing the display form of the object at the time-point to which the same indicator is assigned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: KENICHIRO NAKAGAWA, Makoto Hirota, Rei Ishikawa, Masayuki Ishizawa
  • Publication number: 20110096265
    Abstract: Provided is a backlight unit capable of increasing luminance and of reducing unevenness in luminance. The backlight unit includes: a light diffusing member provided to cover a light emitting element mounted on a surface of a substrate; and a first light reflective member having a hole portion opened larger in size than an outer shape of the light diffusing member, the first light reflective member being provided on the surface of the substrate while having the light diffusing member protrude from the hole portion. In addition, a second light reflective member is further provided on the surface of the substrate, and the second light reflective member covers at least a part of a region corresponding to a gap left between the light diffusing member and the hole portion of the first light reflective member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Inventors: Kenichi MURAKOSHI, Yasuaki HIRANO, Nobuo OGATA, Shinji SUMINOE, Mitsuru HINENO, Yoshihisa SEKIGUCHI, Takafumi OHATA, Makoto HIROTA
  • Patent number: 7890506
    Abstract: The invention provides a user interface control apparatus and a method thereof, which can enhance operability of a user interface by replacing a presentation of a user interface designed by a developer of an application program with a UI component that is easy to use and is customizable for each user. A client computer acquires application software program that includes an element describing a presentation of a user interface and an element describing a data model expressed in the user interface by having a communication unit access an application server through a network. A UI component search unit searches a personal UI component library for a UI component having a presentation preferred by a user, which is replaceable with an element of the data model. A UI component replace unit replaces a second element of the application software with the searched for UI component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Hirota
  • Patent number: 7849413
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus which allows a user interface implemented in a description language such as XML or the like to re-use a widget. A user interface description document can describe a command to allocate a widget with reference to a widget description document that describes the definition of the widget of the user interface. When the user interface description document describes the command, the information processing apparatus refers to the widget description document and generates structured data which expresses the contents that integrate the user interface description document and widget description document. The apparatus displays the user interface based on the generated structured data, and executes an operation in response to an input event from the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Hirota, Kenichiro Nakagawa, Hiromi Omi
  • Patent number: 7844458
    Abstract: A speech recognition apparatus that enables efficient multimodal input in setting a plurality of items by one utterance is provided. An input unit inputs a setting instruction by speech. A speech interpretation unit recognizes and interprets the contents of the setting instruction by speech to generate first structured data containing candidates of the interpretation result. An instruction input detecting unit detects a setting instruction input by a user. An instruction input interpretation unit interprets the contents of the setting instruction input to generate second structured data. A selection unit selects one of the interpretation candidates contained in the first structured data based on the second structured data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Hirota, Hiroki Yamamoto