Patents by Inventor Shinichi Otani

Shinichi Otani 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: 7006779
    Abstract: A cleaning member (16) for cleaning an open/close mechanism (14) for opening/closing a supply port (1a) of a toner cartridge (1) is moved in sync with operation of the open/close mechanism. The cleaning member (16) is in contact with the open/close mechanism (14) for scraping the toner from the outside surface of the open/close mechanism (14), thus preventing the toner from dirtying the unit, etc. when the toner cartridge (1) is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichi Otani
  • Publication number: 20060002741
    Abstract: A contact pressure setting method of setting a contact pressure between contact members of an image forming apparatus. A film member is inserted into a gap between the contact members and the contact pressure is set so that a pulling force to pull out the film member lies within a predetermined range. Thus, the contact pressure can be accurately and easily recognized and the contact pressure can be set to be uniform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Publication date: January 5, 2006
    Inventors: Takanori Mimura, Junichi Ito, Shinichi Otani
  • Publication number: 20050196184
    Abstract: A toner container (101) is detachably attached to a developing device (104). A toner (120) stored in the toner container (101) is supplied through a supply opening (104a) to a hopper (105) of the developing device (104). A movable shutter (123) is provided below the supply opening (104a). The shutter (123) opens the supply opening (104a) when the amount of the toner (121) in the hopper (105) is less than a predetermined amount, and closes the supply opening (104a) when the amount of the toner (121) in the hopper (105) is greater than or equals to the predetermined amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Tetsu Koyama, Shinichi Otani
  • Patent number: 6934490
    Abstract: A toner container 40 includes a fresh toner chamber 46 and a waste toner chamber 47 separated by a partition wall 45. A width “a” of the interior of the fresh toner chamber 46 at an arbitrary vertical position VP along the partition wall 45 is substantially equal to or less than a corresponding width “b” at another position below the vertical position VP. The waste toner chamber 47 has a waste toner collection opening 55 through which a toner discharging mechanism 32 is inserted. A guide member 56 guides a discharging lid 57 for opening and closing the waste toner collection opening 55. The guide member 56 extends inwardly from the vicinity of an upper periphery of the waste toner collection opening 55, so that the toner discharging mechanism 32 that has entered in the waste toner chamber 47 is covered by the guide member 56 from above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsu Koyama, Shinichi Otani
  • Publication number: 20050117919
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes a mechanism that controls the replenishment amount of toner to a predetermined value. A toner cartridge holds toner therein. The toner cartridge is detachably attached to a process cartridge. The process cartridge has a toner reservoir that holds the toner supplied from the toner cartridge, a photoconductive drum and a developing roller that supplies the toner to the photoconductive drum. A valve is located between the toner cartridge and the process cartridge and supplies the toner from the toner cartridge to the process cartridge. When the valve rotates, the valve supplies a volume of toner in such a way that the toner in the toner reservoir fills a volume not more than a predetermined fraction of a maximum capacity of the toner reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2004
    Publication date: June 2, 2005
    Inventors: Junichi Ito, Tetsu Koyama, Shinichi Otani
  • Publication number: 20040265010
    Abstract: A cleaning member (16) for cleaning an open/close mechanism (14) for opening/closing a supply port (1a) of a toner cartridge (1) is moved in sync with operation of the open/close mechanism. The cleaning member (16) is in contact with the open/close mechanism (14) for scraping the toner from the outside surface of the open/close mechanism (14), thus preventing the toner from dirtying the unit, etc. when the toner cartridge (1) is removed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Inventor: Shinichi Otani
  • Patent number: 6830348
    Abstract: An antiglare and antireflection film is provided, which can be formed by a wet-coating method and which is excellent in the antireflection property, antifouling property, scratch resistance, clearness of transmitted image and planar uniformity. A polarizer and a liquid crystal display device using this film are also provided. An antiglare and antireflection film is provided, comprising a transparent support having thereon an antiglare hard coat layer and a low refractive index layer having a refractive index of 1.38 to 1.49, wherein the low refractive index layer is formed by a coating method, the solvent of the coating solution for forming the low refractive index layer comprises one or more solvent, and from 50 to 100% by mass of the solvent is a solvent having a boiling point of 100° C. or less. A polarizer and a liquid crystal display device using this film are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nakamura, Naohiro Matsunaga, Tsutomu Arai, Shinichi Otani, Hidekazu Yamazaki, Hirohisa Hokazono
  • Publication number: 20040047651
    Abstract: A toner container 40 includes a fresh toner chamber 46 and a waste toner chamber 47 separated by a partition wall 45. A width “a” of the interior of the fresh developer chamber 46 at an arbitrary vertical position VP along the partition wall 45 is substantially equal to or less than a corresponding width “b” at another position below the vertical position VP. The waste toner chamber 47 has a waste toner collection opening 55 through which a toner discharging mechanism 32 is inserted. A guide member 56 guides a discharging lid 57 for opening and closing the waste toner collection opening 55. The guide member 56 extends inwardly from the vicinity of an upper periphery of the waste toner collection opening 55, so that the toner discharging mechanism 32 that has entered in the waste toner chamber 47 is covered by the guide member 56 from above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Applicant: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsu Koyama, Shinichi Otani
  • Publication number: 20030112519
    Abstract: An antiglare and antireflection film is provided, which can be formed by a wet-coating method and which is excellent in the antireflection property, antifouling property, scratch resistance, clearness of transmitted image and planar uniformity. A polarizer and a liquid crystal display device using this film are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2002
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nakamura, Naohiro Matsunaga, Tsutomu Arai, Shinichi Otani, Hidekazu Yamazaki, Hirohisa Hokazono
  • Patent number: 6549738
    Abstract: An image forming cartridge and an image forming apparatus equipped with the image forming cartridge is provided which enables a photoreceptor drum to be surely grounded and costs to be reduced. The image forming cartridge is made up of the photoreceptor drum having conductive members, a conductive drum supporting member being fixed in a manner to contact the conductive member, a gear to be contacted with a driving gear when being placed at the image forming apparatus and to be adapted to transfer rotation from the driving gear to the photoreceptor drum and to produce thrust at a time of transfer of rotation, a drum shaft composed of conductors and contacting a part of inner circumferential face of the drum supporting member, collar composed of conductors and being fitted into the drum shaft and an E ring to position the collar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Otani, Hiroaki Sato
  • Patent number: 6502943
    Abstract: An antiglare and antireflection film is provided, which can be formed by a wet-coating method and which is excellent in the antireflection property, antifouling property, scratch resistance, clearness of transmitted image and planar uniformity. A polarizer and a liquid crystal display device using this film are also provided. An antiglare and antireflection film is provided, comprising a transparent support having thereon an antiglare hard coat layer and a low refractive index layer having a refractive index of 1.38 to 1.49, wherein the low refractive index layer is formed by a coating method, the solvent of the coating solution for forming the low refractive index layer comprises one or more solvent, and from 50 to 100% by mass of the solvent is a solvent having a boiling point of 100° C. or less. A polarizer and a liquid crystal display device using this film are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nakamura, Naohiro Matsunaga, Tsutomu Arai, Shinichi Otani, Hidekazu Yamazaki, Hirohisa Hokazono
  • Publication number: 20020034013
    Abstract: An antiglare and antireflection film is provided, which can be formed by a wet-coating method and which is excellent in the antireflection property, antifouling property, scratch resistance, clearness of transmitted image and planar uniformity. A polarizer and a liquid crystal display device using this film are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Publication date: March 21, 2002
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nakamura, Naohiro Matsunaga, Tsutomu Arai, Shinichi Otani, Hidekazu Yamazaki, Hirohisa Hokazono
  • Publication number: 20020025188
    Abstract: An image forming cartridge and an image forming apparatus equipped with the image forming cartridge is provided which enables a photoreceptor drum to be surely grounded and costs to be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Publication date: February 28, 2002
    Inventors: Shinichi Otani, Hiroaki Sato
  • Patent number: 5510870
    Abstract: In an apparatus for processing a photosensitive material, a flow of the processing solution is created on a surface of the photosensitive material, wherein a synthetic flow speed on a surface of the photosensitive material is not less than 80 mm/sec, the synthetic flow speed is a composition of the created flow speed component of the processing solution and a conveyance speed component by a conveyance device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1996
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Teruo Kashino, Shinichi Otani, Kazuhiro Nemoto, Futoshi Wada
  • Patent number: 5068681
    Abstract: In an automatic developing machine in which a photographic film is dried by a drying unit after development, a method of controlling the temperature and/or humidity of the film drying air in order to prevent variation in the film size before and after the processes of development and drying, which comprises prior computation of the variations in the film size according to a temperature and humidity of outside air, thereby determining the optimum operating condition of the drying unit from a result of the prior computation, and thereafter setting the drying unit with the optimum operating condition so that the automatic developing machine may process the film without variation in the film size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Kosugi, Shinichi Otani, Teruo Kashino, Masakazu Andoh, Takeo Arai, Toshiharu Nagashima
  • Patent number: 4952960
    Abstract: In an automatic developing machine in which a photographic film is dried by a drying unit after development, a method of controlling the temperature and/or humidity of the film drying air in order to prevent variation in the film size before and after the processes of development and drying, which comprises prior computation of the variations in the film size according to a temperature and humidity of outside air, thereby determining the optimum operating condition of the drying unit from a result of the prior computation, and thereafter setting the drying unit with the optimum operating condition so that the automatic developing machine may process the film without variation in the film size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1990
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Kosugi, Shinichi Otani, Teruo Kashino, Masakazu Andoh, Takeo Arai, Toshiharu Nagashima
  • Patent number: D501020
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Otani, Tetsu Koyama
  • Patent number: D529076
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Kobayashi, Shigenori Koido, Masayuki Suzuki, Yasushi Nakasone, Tetsuji Kojima, Tetsu Koyama, Shinichi Otani, Takanori Mimura
  • Patent number: D491602
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsu Koyama, Shinichi Otani