Patents by Inventor Teruhiko Inada

Teruhiko Inada 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: 9874834
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner container and a shutter mechanism. The toner container is attached to or detached from an apparatus main body along an attachment/detachment direction. The toner container has a passing port. The shutter mechanism has a container mount, a shutter plate and an opening/closing hook. The container mount is attached to the toner container. The shutter plate is supported on the container mount so as to be slidable along the attachment/detachment direction. The opening/closing hook is supported on the apparatus main body on one side in a direction crossing the attachment/detachment direction. The opening/closing hook disengages the shutter plate with the container mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Teruhiko Inada
  • Patent number: 9772597
    Abstract: This image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a shaft portion, a support portion, and a bush member. The photosensitive drum is configured to hold a toner image to be transferred to a sheet member. The shaft portions are connected to both ends in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and project outward in the axial direction from a center of the photosensitive drum. The support portions have shaft holes through which the shaft portions are inserted, and are configured to rotatably support the shaft portions. The bush members are interposed between inner surfaces of the shaft holes and outer circumferential surfaces of the shaft portions, and are each formed in an arc shape having a slit extending in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Teruhiko Inada
  • Patent number: 9696665
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a drum unit, an intermediate transfer unit, a waste toner container, and a first guide portion. The drum unit includes a photoconductor drum. The intermediate transfer unit includes a transfer belt and a belt cleaning portion. The belt cleaning portion removes waste toner remaining on the transfer belt and conveys the waste toner toward one side in a width direction of the transfer belt. The waste toner container is provided below an end of the drum unit on the one side and includes an introduction port that introduces waste toner to an inside of the waste toner container. The first guide portion guides the waste toner conveyed by the belt cleaning portion to the one side, from the introduction port to the inside of the waste toner container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Teruhiko Inada
  • Publication number: 20170097587
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner container and a shutter mechanism. The toner container is attached to or detached from an apparatus main body along an attachment/detachment direction. The toner container has a passing port. The shutter mechanism has a container mount, a shutter plate and an opening/closing hook. The container mount is attached to the toner container. The shutter plate is supported on the container mount so as to be slidable along the attachment/detachment direction. The opening/closing hook is supported on the apparatus main body on one side in a direction crossing the attachment/detachment direction. The opening/closing hook disengages the shutter plate with the container mount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Teruhiko INADA
  • Publication number: 20170003627
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a drum unit, an intermediate transfer unit, a waste toner container, and a first guide portion. The drum unit includes a photoconductor drum. The intermediate transfer unit includes a transfer belt and a belt cleaning portion. The belt cleaning portion removes waste toner remaining on the transfer belt and conveys the waste toner toward one side in a width direction of the transfer belt. The waste toner container is provided below an end of the drum unit on the one side and includes an introduction port that introduces waste toner to an inside of the waste toner container. The first guide portion guides the waste toner conveyed by the belt cleaning portion to the one side, from the introduction port to the inside of the waste toner container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventor: Teruhiko Inada
  • Publication number: 20170003640
    Abstract: This image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a shaft portion, a support portion, and a bush member. The photosensitive drum is configured to hold a toner image to be transferred to a sheet member. The shaft portions are connected to both ends in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and project outward in the axial direction from a center of the photosensitive drum. The support portions have shaft holes through which the shaft portions are inserted, and are configured to rotatably support the shaft portions. The bush members are interposed between inner surfaces of the shaft holes and outer circumferential surfaces of the shaft portions, and are each formed in an arc shape having a slit extending in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventor: Teruhiko Inada
  • Patent number: 9065946
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: document reading device; document holder; and first locking device. Document reading device is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to apparatus body. Document holder is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to document reading device. First locking device locks document holder so as to prevent document holder from performing opening operation in the case of the document reading device performing opening operation. Document reading device includes an opening. First locking device includes: locking member, first hook member, and lid member. Locking member is inserted into the opening in a state where document holder is closed relative to document reading device. First hook member is engaged with locking member inserted in the opening, below document placing surface. Lid member is movable between closing position at which the opening is closed, and opening position at which the opening is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Inada, Nobuhiro Fukuma
  • Publication number: 20140355084
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: document reading device; document holder; and first locking device. Document reading device is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to apparatus body. Document holder is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to document reading device. First locking device locks document holder so as to prevent document holder from performing opening operation in the case of the document reading device performing opening operation. Document reading device includes an opening. First locking device includes: locking member, first hook member, and lid member. Locking member is inserted into the opening in a state where document holder is closed relative to document reading device. First hook member is engaged with locking member inserted in the opening, below document placing surface. Lid member is movable between closing position at which the opening is closed, and opening position at which the opening is opened.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Inada, Nobuhiro Fukuma
  • Patent number: 7742718
    Abstract: A developing device includes: a developing roller that supplies toner so as to develop an electrostatic latent image into a toner image; and a seal member that prevents toner from leaking from end portions in the axial direction of the developing roller to the outside and the developing device is characterized by a structure in that the developing roller includes a sheet member disposed so as to cover the surface of the end portions in the axial direction of the developing roller, and the sheet member has no seam in the circumferential direction, and has a surface roughness that is smaller than that of the developing roller, or has a surface hardness that is higher than that of a synthetic resin as a base material of the toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Hashizume, Masanobu Maeshima, Teruhiko Inada
  • Publication number: 20090060594
    Abstract: A developing device includes a toner container, a developer carrier, end-portion sealing parts, and a regulating member. The toner container is disposed to be adjacent to the image carrier, and has an opening. The developer carrier is rotatably supported by the toner container so that a part of the developer carrier is exposed to the outside from the opening, and provides the image carrier with toner. The end-portion sealing parts are disposed in the axial end portions of the opening, and prevent toner leaking from the toner container. The regulating member regulates the amount of toner on the developer carrier while the tip side contacts the surface of the developer carrier, and tip edges of axial end portions of the regulating member contact the surface of the developer carrier while the axial end portions are pressed to the surface of the developer carrier by the end-portion sealing parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: KYOCERA MITA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Teruhiko INADA, Tetsuo Tanda, Tetsuro Tomoe, Shinichi Uchida
  • Publication number: 20070253727
    Abstract: A developing device includes: a developing roller that supplies toner so as to develop an electrostatic latent image into a toner image; and a seal member that prevents toner from leaking from end portions in the axial direction of the developing roller to the outside and the developing device is characterized by a structure in that the developing roller includes a sheet member disposed so as to cover the surface of the end portions in the axial direction of the developing roller, and the sheet member has no seam in the circumferential direction, and has a surface roughness that is smaller than that of the developing roller, or has a surface hardness that is higher than that of a synthetic resin as a base material of the toner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Inventors: Masahiro Hashizume, Masanobu Maeshina, Teruhiko Inada