Patents by Inventor Tsunemitsu Fukami

Tsunemitsu Fukami 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: 10317822
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a photosensitive member, a charger, a developing device, a transfer device, and a controller. In a printing control, the controller rotates the photosensitive member in a forward direction and applies a first transfer bias. In a reverse rotation control, the controller rotates the photosensitive member in a reverse direction and applies a second transfer bias being zero after finishing the printing control. In a forward rotation control, the controller rotates the photosensitive member in the forward direction and applies a third transfer bias for a period including a time that a part of the photosensitive member reaches the transfer device after finishing the reverse rotation control. The part faces the developing device when the rotating direction of the photosensitive member is switched. The third transfer bias has an opposite polarity to the first transfer bias and an absolute value larger than the second transfer bias.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Tsunemitsu Fukami
  • Publication number: 20190056683
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a photosensitive member, a charger, a developing device, a transfer device, and a controller. In a printing control, the controller rotates the photosensitive member in a forward direction and applies a first transfer bias. In a reverse rotation control, the controller rotates the photosensitive member in a reverse direction and applies a second transfer bias being zero after finishing the printing control. In a forward rotation control, the controller rotates the photosensitive member in the forward direction and applies a third transfer bias for a period including a time that a part of the photosensitive member reaches the transfer device after finishing the reverse rotation control. The part faces the developing device when the rotating direction of the photosensitive member is switched. The third transfer bias has an opposite polarity to the first transfer bias and an absolute value larger than the second transfer bias.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Publication date: February 21, 2019
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Tsunemitsu Fukami
  • Patent number: 9031437
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first image forming unit including a first transfer unit forming a first nip with a first photosensitive drum for black; a second image forming unit including a second transfer unit forming a second nip with a second photosensitive drum for a color; and a control device which, when a first sheet and a second sheet are continuously conveyed in corresponding order by the conveyance belt at the monochrome mode, is configured to supply a first transfer current for a first time period during which the first sheet or the second sheet pass through the second nip and supply a second transfer current, which is smaller than the first transfer current, for a second time period that is a sheet interval between the first sheet and the second sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tsunemitsu Fukami
  • Patent number: 8811844
    Abstract: An image forming device, comprising: a recovering member that is provided for the at least one photosensitive body and recovers adhered substances adhered to the at least one photosensitive body; a belt cleaner that removes the adhered substances adhered to the transfer belt; a cleaning process execution unit that executes a cleaning process in which the adhered substances are transferred from the recovering member to the transfer belt via the at least one photosensitive body; a use amount calculation unit that divides a developer image for transferring to the sheet-like medium into a plurality of areas in a main scanning direction so as to calculate a developer use amount in each of the plurality of areas; and a cleaning time determination unit that determines a time for which the cleaning process is executed, based on a maximum value of the developer use amounts of the plurality of areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsunemitsu Fukami, Tetsuya Okano
  • Patent number: 8725054
    Abstract: An image forming device, including: photosensitive bodies arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction; a belt that runs in the predetermined direction to transfer a developer image formed on each of the photosensitive bodies to a sheet-like medium; recovering members that are respectively provided for the photosensitive bodies, wherein each recovering member recovers adhered substances adhered to each photosensitive body after the developer image was transferred to the sheet-like medium; a belt cleaner that removes the adhered substances adhered to the belt; a cleaning process execution unit that executes a cleaning process in which the adhered substances are transferred from each recovering member to the belt via each photosensitive body; and a cleaning time determination unit that determines a time period for which the cleaning process is executed, based on a color of the image formed on the sheet-like medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsunemitsu Fukami, Tetsuya Okano
  • Publication number: 20130336669
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first image forming unit including a first transfer unit forming a first nip with a first photosensitive drum for black; a second image forming unit including a second transfer unit forming a second nip with a second photosensitive drum for a color; and a control device which, when a first sheet and a second sheet are continuously conveyed in corresponding order by the conveyance belt at the monochrome mode, is configured to supply a first transfer current for a first time period during which the first sheet or the second sheet pass through the second nip and supply a second transfer current, which is smaller than the first transfer current, for a second time period that is a sheet interval between the first sheet and the second sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tsunemitsu Fukami
  • Publication number: 20120251209
    Abstract: An image forming device, including: photosensitive bodies arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction; a belt that runs in the predetermined direction to transfer a developer image formed on each of the photosensitive bodies to a sheet-like medium; recovering members that are respectively provided for the photosensitive bodies, wherein each recovering member recovers adhered substances adhered to each photosensitive body after the developer image was transferred to the sheet-like medium; a belt cleaner that removes the adhered substances adhered to the belt; a cleaning process execution unit that executes a cleaning process in which the adhered substances are transferred from each recovering member to the belt via each photosensitive body; and a cleaning time determination unit that determines a time period for which the cleaning process is executed, based on a color of the image formed on the sheet-like medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsunemitsu FUKAMI, Tetsuya OKANO
  • Publication number: 20120251161
    Abstract: An image forming device, comprising: a recovering member that is provided for the at least one photosensitive body and recovers adhered substances adhered to the at least one photosensitive body; a belt cleaner that removes the adhered substances adhered to the transfer belt; a cleaning process execution unit that executes a cleaning process in which the adhered substances are transferred from the recovering member to the transfer belt via the at least one photosensitive body; a use amount calculation unit that divides a developer image for transferring to the sheet-like medium into a plurality of areas in a main scanning direction so as to calculate a developer use amount in each of the plurality of areas; and a cleaning time determination unit that determines a time for which the cleaning process is executed, based on a maximum value of the developer use amounts of the plurality of areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsunemitsu FUKAMI, Tetsuya OKANO
  • Patent number: 7778566
    Abstract: A belt cleaning device includes a cleaning roller, a backup roller, and a roller-pressing-state setting mechanism. The cleaning roller is disposed in confrontation with a surface of a belt. The backup roller is disposed in confrontation with the cleaning roller with the belt interposed between the cleaning roller and the backup roller. The roller-pressing-state setting mechanism selectively sets a state of the backup roller to a first state in which the backup roller is pressed against the cleaning roller via the belt, allowing a first pressure to be applied between the cleaning roller and the surface of the belt, and a second state in which a second pressure is applied between the cleaning roller and the surface of the belt. The second pressure is less than the first pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazushi Fukuta, Tsunemitsu Fukami
  • Patent number: 7697855
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including a belt, a cleaning roller opposed to a surface of the belt, a voltage generating circuit generating a voltage applied to the cleaning roller, a voltage value detecting circuit detecting a voltage value applied to the cleaning roller, a control unit controlling the voltage generating circuit by inputting a control signal to the voltage generating circuit such that the voltage value detected by the voltage value detecting circuit is set to the same value as a target voltage value, and a target voltage value setting section setting the target voltage value based on a duty of the control signal input from the control unit to the voltage generating circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsunemitsu Fukami, Kazushi Fukuta
  • Patent number: 7596335
    Abstract: An image forming device is provided with a photoreceptor, a belt, a back member, a front member, and a voltage change device. The belt faces the photoreceptor. The back member is disposed on a back side of the belt. The front member is disposed on a front side of the belt. The front member is disposed adjacent to the belt and faces the back member. The voltage change device is configured to change voltage between the back member and the front member within a range excluding zero. Based on detected conditions such as the number of sheets printed, the replacement of a developer cartridge, or the current between the back member and the front member, the voltage change device change the voltage between the back member and the front member to enhance the ability to clean the belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsunemitsu Fukami, Kazushi Fukuta
  • Patent number: 7391988
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of rollers including at least one drive roller to be rotatively driven; a belt passed around the plurality of rollers; and a press member which is disposed opposite the drive roller with the belt interposed therebetween and presses the belt against the drive roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Igarashi, Tsunemitsu Fukami
  • Publication number: 20080056743
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including a belt, a cleaning roller opposed to a surface of the belt, a voltage generating circuit generating a voltage applied to the cleaning roller, a voltage value detecting circuit detecting a voltage value applied to the cleaning roller, a control unit controlling the voltage generating circuit by inputting a control signal to the voltage generating circuit such that the voltage value detected by the voltage value detecting circuit is set to the same value as a target voltage value, and a target voltage value setting section setting the target voltage value based on a duty of the control signal input from the control unit to the voltage generating circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsunemitsu FUKAMI, Kazushi FUKUTA
  • Publication number: 20070036578
    Abstract: An image forming device is provided with a photoreceptor, a belt, a back member, a first front member, and a first voltage change device. The belt faces the photoreceptor. The back member is disposed on a back side of the belt. The first front member is disposed on a front side of the belt. The first front member is disposed adjacent to the belt and faces the back member. The first voltage change device is capable of changing voltage between the back member and the first front member within a range excluding zero.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Publication date: February 15, 2007
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsunemitsu Fukami, Kazushi Fukuta
  • Publication number: 20060285872
    Abstract: A belt cleaning device includes a cleaning roller, a backup roller, and a roller-pressing-state setting mechanism. The cleaning roller is disposed in confrontation with a surface of a belt. The backup roller is disposed in confrontation with the cleaning roller with the belt interposed between the cleaning roller and the backup roller. The roller-pressing-state setting mechanism selectively sets a state of the backup roller to a first state in which the backup roller is pressed against the cleaning roller via the belt, allowing a first pressure to be applied between the cleaning roller and the surface of the belt, and a second state in which a second pressure is applied between the cleaning roller and the surface of the belt. The second pressure is less than the first pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Publication date: December 21, 2006
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazushi Fukuta, Tsunemitsu Fukami
  • Publication number: 20060093395
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of rollers including at least one drive roller to be rotatively driven; a belt passed around the plurality of rollers; and a press member which is disposed opposite the drive roller with the belt interposed therebetween and presses the belt against the drive roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki
    Inventors: Hiroshi Igarashi, Tsunemitsu Fukami