Patents by Inventor Yasuhiro Maruyama

Yasuhiro Maruyama 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: 9473557
    Abstract: A server device includes a first accepting unit, a converting unit, a notifying unit, and a providing unit. The first accepting unit accepts a specification from a specifying device that specifies first content. In a case where a data format of the first content indicated by the specification is not a certain data format in which data is capable of being output by an output device, the converting unit converts the data format of the first content to the certain data format, thereby generating second content having the certain data format, and stores the second content. The notifying unit notifies the specifying device of a storage site of the second content. In a case where the output device requests to get content from the storage site of the second content by using information acquired from the specifying device, the providing unit provides the second content to the output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryoji Matsumura, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Shin Ohtake, Manabu Iwasaki
  • Publication number: 20160264175
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, a recess portion is formed at an outer end portion of the upper surface of the arm member connecting portion, one end of the recess portion communicates with the counterbored portion, and the other end of the recess portion is opened to an exterior of the arm connecting member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventor: Yasuhiro MARUYAMA
  • Patent number: 9423735
    Abstract: A fixing device may include an endless belt and a nip member in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the endless belt. The fixing device may further include a backup member that nips the endless belt together with the nip member. The fixing device may include a contact member disposed opposite the backup member with the nip member therebetween. The contact member may be in contact with the nip member. The contact member may include a first portion that extends across a width of a maximum image forming area and a second portion positioned outside the width of the maximum image forming area and inside a width of the nip in an axial direction of the endless belt. A heat transfer coefficient per unit dimension between the nip member and the second portion may be smaller than that between the nip member and the first portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Maruyama, Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata, Akihiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9329546
    Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt, a backup roller, and a nip member having a first slide contact surface, a second slide contact surface, and a connecting surface connecting the first and second slide contact surfaces. A curvature radius of the second slide contact surface is greater than that of the backup roller in cross section perpendicular to an axis of the backup roller. The connecting surface is disposed between a first imaginary plane and a second imaginary plane, the first imaginary plane including an edge of the endless belt and extending perpendicularly to the axis of the backup roller, the second imaginary plane including an end of a maximum image area proximate to the edge of the endless belt and extending perpendicularly to the axis of the backup roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Akihiro Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20160116875
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heat unit, a pressure roller, a temperature sensor, and a controller. The heat unit includes a heater and a heated member configured to be heated by the heater. The pressure roller is configured to rotate at a rotational speed while being in contact with the heated member upon receiving a driving force. The temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the heat unit. The controller is configured to control the rotational speed of the pressure roller on a basis of: the temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and a parameter that causes temperature of the pressure roller to change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Yasuhiro Maruyama
  • Patent number: 9323189
    Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt extending in a first direction and configured to rotate, a nip member extending in the first direction and disposed in contact with an inner surface of the endless belt, a backup member extending in the first direction and disposed in contact with an outer surface of the endless belt such that that the backup roller and the nip member sandwich the endless belt therebetween and the backup member and the endless belt form a nip therebetween, a first heating element extending along the endless belt in the first direction and configured to generate heat, and an inner surface guide disposed in contact with an end portion of the inner surface of the endless belt in the first direction and spaced apart from the nip in a second direction. The inner surface guide includes a second heating element configured to generate heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoyuki Iwata, Tomoaki Hazeyama, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Akihiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9244405
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus may include a main body having a surface. The main body may accommodate a photosensitive member disposed away from the surface and along a conveying path and a fuser. The fuser may be disposed downstream from the photosensitive member along the conveying path and have a portion disposed further away from the surface than the photosensitive member. The fuser may include an endless belt and a nip plate. The nip plate may include a first surface with lubricant thereon that faces an inner surface of the endless belt, and a second surface that extends from an end of the first surface. The second surface may be spaced apart from the inner surface of the endless belt and include a furthest downstream portion of the nip plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Maruyama, Akihiro Kobayashi, Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata
  • Patent number: 9229394
    Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt, a nip member having a contact surface that is in contact with the inner surface of the endless belt, a backup member configured to pinch the endless belt in conjunction with the nip member, an upstream guide disposed upstream of the nip portion in the rotating direction, and a regulating portion. The upstream guide and the nip member are disposed while a first gap is provided, in a conveying direction of the recording sheet, between a middle portion of the upstream guide and a middle portion of the nip member. The regulating portion and one of the upstream guide and the nip member are disposed while a second gap is provided therebetween in the conveying direction of the recording sheet. The second gap is smaller than the first gap in the conveying direction of the recording sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Akihiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9195189
    Abstract: A fixing device configured to thermally fix a developing agent image to a recording sheet includes a fixing belt having a tubular shape defining an inner space, a heat generating member, a nip member, and a stay which are disposed in the inner space of the fixing belt, and a rotating member disposed outside the inner space of the fixing belt. The fixing belt is nipped between the nip plate and the rotating member. The stay comprises a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion which are positioned upstream and downstream of the heat generating member, respectively, in a conveying direction of the recording sheet and are configured to receive a force exerted from the rotating member to the nip member. The heat insulator is disposed between the nip member and one of the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion of the stay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Yuji Nishigaki, Yasuhiro Maruyama
  • Publication number: 20150332041
    Abstract: A relay apparatus includes a memory that stores a user management table used to manage user information including state information indicating a state of a right of use of a service for every user; a receiving unit that receives a request to delete the right of use of the user from a client apparatus; a changing unit that changes a value of the state information about the user corresponding to the request in the state information to a value indicating deletion; a transmitting unit that transmits a response to the received request; and a process executing unit that executes a process for deleting data concerning the user the state information about whom has the value indicating the deletion from a storage area of the relay apparatus, in which the data is stored, and a storage area of another relay apparatus, in which the data is stored, at predetermined timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yasuhiro MARUYAMA
  • Patent number: 9188919
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device that may include a nip member, a rotating body and an endless belt. The endless belt may be in sliding contact with the nip member. The rotating body may constitute a nip region. The nip region may define a first, second and third imaginary planes. The first imaginary plane may be perpendicular to the sliding direction. The second imaginary plane may be perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating body and may contain a first end portion of the nip region. The third imaginary plane may contain a second end portion of the nip region. The first surface may be a convex shape in a first cross-section along the first imaginary plane, and may be concave shape concaved in a direction opposite to the rotating body in second and third cross-sections along the second and third imaginary planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoyuki Iwata, Yusuke Murodate, Akihiro Kobayashi, Tomoaki Hazeyama, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Yuji Nishigaki
  • Publication number: 20150286177
    Abstract: A fixing device configured to thermally fix a developing agent image to a recording sheet includes a fixing belt having a tubular shape defining an inner space, a heat generating member, a nip member, and a stay which are disposed in the inner space of the fixing belt, and a rotating member disposed outside the inner space of the fixing belt. The fixing belt is nipped between the nip plate and the rotating member. The stay comprises a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion which are positioned upstream and downstream of the heat generating member, respectively, in a conveying direction of the recording sheet and are configured to receive a force exerted from the rotating member to the nip member. The heat insulator is disposed between the nip member and one of the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion of the stay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Yuji Nishigaki, Yasuhiro Maruyama
  • Publication number: 20150277315
    Abstract: A fixing device may include an endless belt and a nip member being in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the endless belt. The fixing device may further include a backup member that nips the endless belt together with the nip member. The fixing device may include a contact member disposed opposite the backup member with the nip member therebetween. The contact member may be in contact with the nip member. The contact member may include a first portion that extends across a width of a maximum image forming area and a second portion positioned outside the width of the maximum image forming area and inside a width of the nip in a axial direction of the endless belt. A heat transfer coefficient per unit dimension between the nip member and the second portion may be smaller than that between the nip member and the first portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Maruyama, Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata, Akihiro Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20150277318
    Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt, a backup roller, and a nip member having a first slide contact surface, a second slide contact surface, and a connecting surface connecting the first and second slide contact surfaces. A curvature radius of the second slide contact surface is greater than that of the backup roller in cross section perpendicular to an axis of the backup roller. The connecting surface is disposed between a first imaginary plane and a second imaginary plane, the first imaginary plane including an edge of the endless belt and extending perpendicularly to the axis of the backup roller, the second imaginary plane including an end of a maximum image area proximate to the edge of the endless belt and extending perpendicularly to the axis of the backup roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Akihiro Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20150277314
    Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt, a nip member having a contact surface that is in contact with the inner surface of the endless belt, a backup member configured to pinch the endless belt in conjunction with the nip member, an upstream guide disposed upstream of the nip portion in the rotating direction, and a regulating portion. The upstream guide and the nip member are disposed while a first gap is provided, in a conveying direction of the recording sheet, between a middle portion of the upstream guide and a middle portion of the nip member. The regulating portion and one of the upstream guide and the nip member are disposed while a second gap is provided therebetween in the conveying direction of the recording sheet. The second gap is smaller than the first gap in the conveying direction of the recording sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Akihiro Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20150277311
    Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt extending in a first direction and configured to rotate, a nip member extending in the first direction and disposed in contact with an inner surface of the endless belt, a backup member extending in the first direction and disposed in contact with an outer surface of the endless belt such that that the backup roller and the nip member sandwich the endless belt therebetween and the backup member and the endless belt form a nip therebetween, a first heating element extending along the endless belt in the first direction and configured to generate heat, and an inner surface guide disposed in contact with an end portion of the inner surface of the endless belt in the first direction and spaced apart from the nip in a second direction. The inner surface guide includes a second heating element configured to generate heat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Naoyuki Iwata, Tomoaki Hazayama, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Akihiro Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20150271091
    Abstract: A relay device includes the following elements. A use request receiver receives a use request to use a service to be provided by a service providing device from a client device. An allocation request sender sends an allocation request to allocate a usage amount of the service based on a usage amount indicated by usage amount information specified by the use request received by the use request receiver to a different relay device. An allocated amount receiver receives allocated amount information indicating an allocated usage amount for the service sent from the different relay device in response to the allocation request. A return information generator generates return information from the allocated amount information received from the allocated amount receiver and a usage amount of the service. A return information sender sends the return information generated by the return information generator to the different relay device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yasuhiro MARUYAMA
  • Patent number: 9116475
    Abstract: Some fixing devices include a nip member, an endless belt, a rotating member and a stay. The stay, in some arrangements, has a first supporting face. Additionally, the first supporting face includes a first downstream edge. The first downstream edge includes a first portion, a third portion, and a second portion. According to various aspects, the second portion is positioned between the first portion and the third portion. The second supporting face includes a second downstream edge. The second downstream edge has a fourth portion, a sixth portion, and a fifth portion. According to further aspects, the second portion and the fifth portion define a first distance while the first portion and the fourth portion define a second distance, and the third portion and the sixth portion define a third distance. The second distance and the third distance is longer than the first distance in some examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata, Yasuhiro Maruyama, Yusuke Murodate, Akihiro Kobayashi, Yuji Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 9091978
    Abstract: A fixing device may include a nip member, an endless belt, a rotating body, and a stay. The endless belt may be in sliding contact with the nip member. The rotating body may nip the endless belt to constitute a nip region. The stay may be disposed opposite to the nip region, and may receive a pressure from the nip member. A pressure direction may be defined as a first direction. The rotating body may define an axial direction as a second direction. The stay may have a first wall. The first wall may include a center portion, a first end portion, a second end portion and a supporting portion. The first end portion may include a first low rigidity portion. The second end portion may include a second low rigidity portion. The supporting portion may provide a convex shape protruding toward the nip member upon receiving the pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Maruyama, Tomoaki Hazeyama, Naoyuki Iwata, Yusuke Murodate, Akihiro Kobayashi, Yuji Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 9063485
    Abstract: A fixing device configured to thermally fix a developing agent image to a recording sheet includes a fixing belt having a tubular shape defining an inner space, a heat generating member, a nip member, and a stay which are disposed in the inner space of the fixing belt, and a rotating member disposed outside the inner space of the fixing belt. The fixing belt is nipped between the nip plate and the rotating member. The stay comprises a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion which are positioned upstream and downstream of the heat generating member, respectively, in a conveying direction of the recording sheet and are configured to receive a force exerted from the rotating member to the nip member. The heat insulator is disposed between the nip member and one of the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion of the stay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoaki Hazeyama, Yuji Nishigaki, Yasuhiro Maruyama