Patents by Inventor Masahiro Ootsuka

Masahiro Ootsuka 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).

  • Publication number: 20240139922
    Abstract: Provided is a working machine with improved durability. A nail driver (working machine) includes a hitting portion that is formed in a rod shape extending about an axis line, an injection portion that abuts on an outer peripheral surface of the hitting portion, thereby guiding a movement of the hitting portion toward one side in the axial direction, and a supply portion that energizes a fastener toward one side in a direction intersecting with the axial direction, thereby supplying the fastener to the injection portion. The hitting portion has a tip part, and a center part provided at a position different from that of the tip part in the axial direction. At least a part of an outer peripheral surface of the tip part (tip part outer peripheral surface) on an anti-feeder side with respect to the axis line protrudes from an outer peripheral surface of the center part (center par outer peripheral surface) on a supply portion side with respect to the axis line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2021
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Takashi KAWAMATA, Masahiro MIURA, Kazuhiro OOTSUKA
  • Patent number: 11774883
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus to execute an image forming operation for forming an image includes an image bearing member, a development unit, a drive unit, a controller, and a humidity detection unit to detect humidity near the development unit. The development unit contains developer and includes a conveyance member to convey the developer and a developer carrying member to carry the developer to a position where an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member is developed. The controller controls the conveyance and the developer carrying member through the drive unit not to execute a mode for driving the conveyance and the developer carrying member without executing the image forming operation when the humidity detected when power of the image forming apparatus is shifted from off to on is higher than a predetermined value, and to execute the mode when the detected humidity falls below the predetermined value afterward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Furukawa, Masahiro Ootsuka, Shunichi Takada, Tatsuya Inoue
  • Publication number: 20220260940
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus to execute an image forming operation for forming an image includes an image bearing member, a development unit, a drive unit, a controller, and a humidity detection unit to detect humidity near the development unit. The development unit contains developer and includes a conveyance member to convey the developer and a developer carrying member to carry the developer to a position where an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member is developed. The controller controls the conveyance and the developer carrying member through the drive unit not to execute a mode for driving the conveyance and the developer carrying member without executing the image forming operation when the humidity detected when power of the image forming apparatus is shifted from off to on is higher than a predetermined value, and to execute the mode when the detected humidity falls below the predetermined value afterward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Furukawa, Masahiro Ootsuka, Shunichi Takada, Tatsuya Inoue
  • Patent number: 10642192
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrying member, a first chamber, a second chamber, a first communicating portion, a second communicating portion, and a feeding screw, provided in the second chamber, including a feeding portion having a first helical blade and including a returning portion having a second helical blade in the form of a plurality of threads, the feeding portion and the returning portion being provided so that a boundary portion therebetween opposes the second communicating portion. The first helical blade and the second helical blade satisfy the following relationship: P2?P1, where P1 is a pitch, or lead, of the first helical blade and P2 is a lead of the second helical blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu Ariizumi, Shunsuke Tsuda, Mitsuyoshi Arakawa, Masahiro Ootsuka, Fumiyoshi Saito
  • Publication number: 20180335722
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrying member, a first chamber, a second chamber, a first communicating portion, a second communicating portion, and a feeding screw, provided in the second chamber, including a feeding portion having a first helical blade and including a returning portion having a second helical blade in the form of a plurality of threads, the feeding portion and the returning portion being provided so that a boundary portion therebetween opposes the second communicating portion. The first helical blade and the second helical blade satisfy the following relationship: P2?P1, where P1 is a pitch of the first helical blade and P2 is a pitch of the second helical blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Osamu Ariizumi, Shunsuke Tsuda, Mitsuyoshi Arakawa, Masahiro Ootsuka, Fumiyoshi Saito
  • Patent number: 10088772
    Abstract: A developing device includes a rotatable developer carrying member enclosing a magnetic field generating portion including a plurality of magnetic poles and configured to carry a developer; and a resinous regulating portion provided at a position opposing the developer carrying member and configured to regulate an amount of the developer carried by the developer carrying member. The regulating portion is formed of a resin material containing magnetic powder, and at least a free end portion, opposed to the developer carrying member, of the regulating portion has relative permeability of 10 or more and 60 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryohei Terada, Ichiro Katsuie, Shoji Naruge, Masahiro Ootsuka, Tatsuya Inoue
  • Publication number: 20180210369
    Abstract: A developing device includes a rotatable developer carrying member enclosing a magnetic field generating portion including a plurality of magnetic poles and configured to carry a developer; and a resinous regulating portion provided at a position opposing the developer carrying member and configured to regulate an amount of the developer carried by the developer carrying member. The regulating portion is formed of a resin material containing magnetic powder, and at least a free end portion, opposed to the developer carrying member, of the regulating portion has relative permeability of 10 or more and 60 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventors: Ryohei Terada, Ichiro Katsuie, Shoji Naruge, Masahiro Ootsuka, Tatsuya Inoue
  • Patent number: 9897960
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a toner container, a toner amount detection unit, a driving unit, a toner accommodating unit, a remaining toner amount detection unit, and a control unit is provided. The toner container supplies the toner to the toner accommodating unit by being rotated in a first direction. The toner amount detection unit detects a value related to an amount of the toner in the toner container. The control unit controls the driving unit so as to rotate the toner container in a second direction in a case where the remaining-toner amount detection unit has detected that the amount of the toner accommodated by the toner accommodating unit is smaller than a first set amount and the amount of the toner contained in the toner container detected by the toner amount detection unit reaches a second set amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Ootsuka, Ichiro Katsuie, Shoji Naruge, Ryohei Terada
  • Publication number: 20170139365
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a toner container, a toner amount detection unit, a driving unit, a toner accommodating unit, a remaining toner amount detection unit, and a control unit is provided. The toner container supplies the toner to the toner accommodating unit by being rotated in a first direction. The toner amount detection unit detects a value related to an amount of the toner in the toner container. The control unit controls the driving unit so as to rotate the toner container in a second direction in a case where the remaining-toner amount detection unit has detected that the amount of the toner accommodated by the toner accommodating unit is smaller than a first set amount and the amount of the toner contained in the toner container detected by the toner amount detection unit reaches a second set amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Inventors: Masahiro Ootsuka, Ichiro Katsuie, Shoji Naruge, Ryohei Terada
  • Patent number: 9268263
    Abstract: A development device wherein a magnetic force distribution of a developer bearing member in a longitudinal direction at positions at which a magnetic flux density of a low magnetic field area is minimal in the peripheral direction of the developer bearing member is set such that a difference between a maximum magnetic flux density in a range from a maximum position at which an attenuation rate of the magnetic flux density is maximal to a 30 mm distant position toward the center of the developer bearing member and a magnetic flux density on a further center side of the developer bearing member than the range is 3 mT or less, and an absolute value of the magnetic flux density of a further outer side in the longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member than the maximum position is set to 3 mT or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Ariizumi, Takanori Iida, Shinya Suzuki, Ryohei Terada, Ichiro Katsuie, Shoji Naruge, Masahiro Ootsuka
  • Publication number: 20150331365
    Abstract: A development device wherein a magnetic force distribution of a developer bearing member in a longitudinal direction at positions at which a magnetic flux density of a low magnetic field area is minimal in the peripheral direction of the developer bearing member is set such that a difference between a maximum magnetic flux density in a range from a maximum position at which an attenuation rate of the magnetic flux density is maximal to a 30 mm distant position toward the center of the developer bearing member and a magnetic flux density on a further center side of the developer bearing member than the range is 3 mT or less, and an absolute value of the magnetic flux density of a further outer side in the longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member than the maximum position is set to 3 mT or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Inventors: Osamu Ariizumi, Takanori Iida, Shinya Suzuki, Ryohei Terada, Ichiro Katsuie, Shoji Naruge, Masahiro Ootsuka
  • Publication number: 20150168874
    Abstract: A stripping position at which a magnetic force in a direction normal to a developing sleeve is zero or smallest is disposed upstream, in a rotating direction of the developing sleeve, from a point of contact on a tangent to the developing sleeve, the tangent passing through an end of a partition that separates a developing chamber and a recovery chamber from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Inventor: Masahiro Ootsuka
  • Patent number: 8385754
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing a latent image; a developing device, including a developer carrying member for carrying and feeding a developer including toner and a carrier to a developing position in which the developer opposes the image bearing member, for developing the latent image formed on the image bearing member; a discharging portion for permitting discharge of an excessive developer present in the developing device by supplying the developer into the developing device; a feeding member for feeding the developer in the developing device; a controller for controlling a forced discharging operation for discharging the excessive developer from the discharging portion by changing a driving condition of at least one of the developer carrying member and the feeding member; and a detecting device for detecting information correlating to flowability of the developer in the developing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Fumitake Hirobe, Hideaki Suzuki, Yoshiro Tsukada, Masahiro Ootsuka
  • Publication number: 20110142465
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing chamber, an agitating chamber, a first conveying screw which is arranged in the developing chamber and conveys developer toward the agitating chamber, a second conveying screw which is arranged in the agitating chamber and conveys developer toward the developing chamber, a developing sleeve which bears developer supplied from the developing chamber and conveys the developer to the agitating chamber via a developing position opposed to a photosensitive drum, and a motor, which drives the developing sleeve, the first conveying screw and the second conveying screw, wherein stop timing of the developing sleeve is earlier than stop timing of the second conveying screw in accordance with image forming completion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masahiro Ootsuka
  • Patent number: 7917066
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a developing chamber an agitating chamber, a first conveying screw which is arranged in the developing chamber and coveys developer from one end to the other end of the first chamber, a second conveying screw which is arranged in the agitating chamber and conveys developer from one end to the other end of the second chamber, a developing sleeve which bears developer supplied from the developing chamber and conveys the developer to the agitating chamber via a developing area opposed to a photosensitive drum, motors, which drive the developing sleeve, the first conveying screw and the second conveying screw, and a controller which controls drive of the developing sleeve and the second conveying screw so that trigger timing of drive stopping of at least the second conveying screw is to be later than trigger timing of drive stopping of the developing sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahiro Ootsuka
  • Publication number: 20110052221
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing a latent image; a developing device, including a developer carrying member for carrying and feeding a developer including toner and a carrier to a developing position in which the developer opposes the image bearing member, for developing the latent image formed on the image bearing member; a discharging portion for permitting discharge of an excessive developer present in the developing device by supplying the developer into the developing device; a feeding member for feeding the developer in the developing device; a controller for controlling a forced discharging operation for discharging the excessive developer from the discharging portion by changing a driving condition of at least one of the developer carrying member and the feeding member; and a detecting device for detecting information correlating to flowability of the developer in the developing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fumitake Hirobe, Hideaki Suzuki, Yoshiro Tsukada, Masahiro Ootsuka
  • Publication number: 20100098447
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a developing chamber an agitating chamber, a first conveying screw which is arranged in the developing chamber and coveys developer from one end to the other end of the first chamber, a second conveying screw which is arranged in the agitating chamber and conveys developer from one end to the other end of the second chamber, a developing sleeve which bears developer supplied from the developing chamber and conveys the developer to the agitating chamber via a developing area opposed to a photosensitive drum, motors, which drive the developing sleeve, the first conveying screw and the second conveying screw, and a controller which controls drive of the developing sleeve and the second conveying screw so that trigger timing of drive stopping of at least the second conveying screw is to be later than trigger timing of drive stopping of the developing sleeve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masahiro Ootsuka