Supply Selection (e.g., Sheet Color) Patents (Class 271/9.05)
  • Patent number: 11307808
    Abstract: A print management system having a control apparatus and an image forming apparatus with sheet feeding cassettes includes a sheet data registration unit to register sheet data indicating an attribute of each print sheet, a sheet feeding cassette selection unit to select a sheet feeding cassette, and a sheet data selection unit to select sheet data about at least one type of print sheet from the registered sheet data. An adjustment value setting unit sets adjustment value information during image formation while feeding the selected print sheet and a database setting unit sets, in association with each other, the attribute of the selected sheet feeding cassette, the selected sheet data about the print sheet, and the set adjustment value information. The database setting unit allows setting to one piece of sheet data adjustment value information about each sheet feeding cassette selected by the sheet feeding cassette selection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichi Yamakawa, Yuzo Harano, Hideaki Ooba, Aya Ito, Nobuhiro Kawamura, Yusuke Kimura
  • Patent number: 10514650
    Abstract: A first opposing portion of the coupling includes first ratchet hook and a second opposing portion of the second rotary body includes a second ratchet hook. One of the third opposing portion of the coupling and the fourth opposing portion of the first rotary body has a cam on an end face thereof and the other one has a cam face on an end face thereof. When the first rotary body rotates in a forward direction, a camming action turns on the transmission of torque. When the first rotary body rotates in a backward direction, the transmission of torque is turned off. A protrusion provided on a portion other than the cam or the cam face of the end face of one of the third opposing portion of the coupling and the fourth opposing portion of the first rotary body comes into contact with a portion other than the cam or the cam face of the end face of the other one of the third opposing portion and the fourth opposing portion while the transmission of torque is turned off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuhiko Hanamoto
  • Patent number: 9770929
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a communication interface, an image forming unit, a plurality of sheet feeders, and a motor configured to selectively apply a drive force any of the sheet feeders. A transmission assembly switches transmission to any one of the sheet feeders. A controller receives preceding data from the communication interface, and, in response, controls the transmission assembly to initiate a switch of the transmission of the drive force to a standard sheet feeder among the plurality of the sheet feeders. In response to receipt control data received after the preceding data, the controller controls the image forming unit, motor, and transmission assembly to form an image on the sheet based on an image forming condition included in the control data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenta Horade
  • Patent number: 9323484
    Abstract: A print instruction apparatus includes a group information acquisition unit that acquires information identifying a feeder unit included in a group including two or more feeder units, from among a plurality of feeder units mounted on a printer to feed paper sheets, where if one feeder unit in the group runs out of paper sheets during printing, another feeder unit in the same group is configured to feed paper sheets, and a display that acquires information related to a remaining amount of paper sheets each of the feeder units in the group, and displays information related to a total remaining amount of paper sheets in the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroo Yoshida, Yutaka Kojima, Shinichi Takano, Taro Yamazaki, Masayuki Iwasawa, Naoki Yasuda, Issei Matsushita, Shingo Kato
  • Patent number: 9310746
    Abstract: A printing apparatus having a plurality of sheet storage units that stores sheets to be supplied to a printing unit includes a reception unit configured to receive, from an external printing apparatus in which a sheet storage unit group constituted by arbitrary sheet storage units of a plurality of sheet storage units has been formed, paper information that is information of sheets stored in respective sheet storage units that constitute the sheet storage unit group, and a creation unit configured to form a sheet storage unit group corresponding to a sheet storage unit group formed in the external printing apparatus using arbitrary sheet storage units of the plurality of sheet storage units which the printing apparatus has, based on the information of the sheets stored in each of the plurality of sheet storage units which the external printing apparatus has, and the paper information received by the reception unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shin Fukuda
  • Patent number: 9278553
    Abstract: A printer includes a configuration, in which a paper is delivered between a recording head which is positioned upwards from a tray and a support member, and the recording is performed, and then the paper is discharged towards a discharged-paper receiving tray. The discharged-paper receiving tray is configured such that a relief section is formed to avoid an arrangement region of an oscillation member configuring a feeding unit upstream thereof, and the oscillation member is able to oscillate inside the relief section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yosuke Nakano, Yoshiyuki Okazawa, Tomoko Shirai, Katsumi Yamada
  • Patent number: 9235361
    Abstract: A printer includes a printing unit, a paper feeding unit, a display unit and a control unit. The printing unit is configured and arranged to execute printing. The paper feeding unit is configured and arranged to hold paper. The display unit is configured and arranged to display a paper registration screen for registering or confirming attributes of the paper according to an operation on the paper feeding unit. The control unit is configured not to display the paper registration screen when non-display conditions have been satisfied even when the operation is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akemi Ito, Ikumi Watanabe, Reiko Nomura
  • Patent number: 9212016
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus can exchange a sound reduction mode and a normal mode. The image forming apparatus includes a sound reduction sheet feed cassette, a normal sheet feed cassette, a sound reduction sheet feed cassette roller, and a normal sheet feed cassette roller. The sound reduction sheet feed cassette roller and the normal sheet feed cassette roller can exchange rotation speed to a slower speed than a normal paper feeding speed, In the sound reduction mode, the image forming apparatus performs one of a noise reduction high performance mode and a noise reduction low performance mode. In the normal mode, the image forming apparatus performs a high performance mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Minakuchi, Daiki Sone
  • Patent number: 8994971
    Abstract: A printing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of sheet feed trays, stores sheet information including property information indicating a property of a sheet and sheet feed tray information indicating a sheet feed tray to which the sheet is allowed to be assigned, and selects a sheet feed tray from the plurality of sheet feed trays based on a designation made by a user. The printing apparatus further displays a sheet allowed to be assigned to the selected sheet feed tray based on the stored sheet information and assigns, to the selected sheet feed tray, a sheet designated by the user from among the displayed sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shin Fukuda
  • Patent number: 8988717
    Abstract: A printing apparatus which makes it possible to reduce time and labor required by the operator for paper assignment and suppress occurrence of an operation error during execution of the paper assignment. The printing apparatus is provided with a plurality of paper feeders for containing papers. Information on types of papers to be contained in the respective paper feeders is set as a paper assignment configuration. The printing apparatus selects a specific paper assignment configuration, based on an instruction from the operator, from paper assignment configurations stored in a storage device. The selected specific paper assignment configuration is set as the current paper assignment configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shin Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20150062622
    Abstract: A printing system includes a plurality of loading units, and a registration management unit configured to display on a display screen a registration screen for receiving registration of attributes of printing media loaded in the loading unit. The registration management unit is configured to arrange selection elements corresponding to unregistered loading units so as to be selectable on the registration screen, and is configured to arrange on the registration screen registration elements for registering the attributes of the printing media loaded in the loading unit corresponding to a selected selection element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventor: Akemi ITO
  • Patent number: 8899573
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a plurality of trays to store an index sheet provided with a tab at a predetermined position of the index sheet, a setting section to set first information concerning the index sheet stored in the tray for each of the plurality of trays, a receiving section to receive second information concerning an insertion of the index sheet in a job, and a controller to control an execution of the job and an operation of feeding the index sheet. The controller automatically selects the tray in the execution of the job based on the first information and the second information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshihisa Kamata
  • Patent number: 8777207
    Abstract: This invention relates to a printing apparatus and control method thereof. The standard size of an envelope to be stored in each of a plurality of paper storage units configured to store an envelope to be used in printing is set. An offset amount to be used to print an image on an envelope of the set standard size is set. A paper storage unit which stores an envelope to be used in printing is selected from the plurality of paper storage units based on a standard size of an envelope that is designated by a user. The position of an image is shifted in accordance with the set offset amount, and the image is printed on an envelope fed from the selected paper storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kaori Nishiyama
  • Patent number: 8727334
    Abstract: A recording device includes a judgment unit and a control unit. The judgment unit judges whether or not a designated standby time has elapsed still without a next recording job after the current recording job performed by the recording unit has ended in a state with the first media housing unit arranged in the feed position. The control unit controls the drive unit to hold the first media housing unit in the feed position when the judgment unit judges that it is before the standby time has elapsed, and on the other hand, to move the first media housing unit from the feed position to the removal position when the judgment unit judges that it is after the standby time has elapsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yohei Nunokawa, Yasuhiko Yoshihisa
  • Patent number: 8662493
    Abstract: A user is notified that the setting of sheets with respect to a grouped plurality of sheet storage units is changed, so that a state becomes impossible to execute switching of the grouped sheet storage units. The control method includes, registering a plurality of sheet storage units each storing a sheet as one group, determining, at the time of sheet supply to any one of the sheet storage units, whether sheet information about the sheet storage unit set in the group has been changed by sheet information newly set with respect to the sheet storage unit to be supplied with the sheet, and a notifying, when it is determined that the sheet information has been changed, the user of the change in the sheet information about the sheet storage units set as one group by the supply of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takaaki Yano
  • Patent number: 8641032
    Abstract: A sheet cassette includes a lower stage side tray that accommodates a sheet, an upper stage side tray that is slidable with respect to the lower stage side tray on an upper portion of the lower stage side tray and accommodates the sheet, and a discharged sheet tray that is slidable with respect to the upper stage side tray, is displaceable to a position to receive the sheet discharged after being recorded on, and covers an upper portion of the upper stage side tray. The upper stage side tray and the discharged sheet tray are configured to be driven by a driving unit, and the discharged sheet tray is displaced by the driving unit to a position to receive the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Nakamura, Atsuhiko Takeuchi, Kazumasa Harada, Kensuke Tamai, Kazutoshi Matsuzaki
  • Publication number: 20130321863
    Abstract: A printing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of sheet feed trays, stores sheet information including property information indicating a property of a sheet and sheet feed tray information indicating a sheet feed tray to which the sheet is allowed to be assigned, and selects a sheet feed tray from the plurality of sheet feed trays based on a designation made by a user. The printing apparatus further displays a sheet allowed to be assigned to the selected sheet feed tray based on the stored sheet information and assigns, to the selected sheet feed tray, a sheet designated by the user from among the displayed sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shin Fukuda
  • Patent number: 8599391
    Abstract: A method for printing including receiving, by a printer, a first page image, a second page image, and a selection for enabling media type substitution. The printer identifies a preferred media type and an alternate media type, where the preferred media type and the alternate media type include a common printable area (CPA), and the first page image and the second page image are modified to match a dimension of the CPA. The printer then selects the preferred media type for printing the first page image. The printer receives a message, after receiving the selection enabling media type substitution, associated with the preferred media type after selecting the first media type. The printer then selects the alternate media type in response to the message and the selection enabling media type substitution, and prints the second page image using the alternate media type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc.
    Inventor: Daisuke Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8544242
    Abstract: When sheets (1, 2) with different sizes are processed to a mail item, sheets (1, 2) with different sizes in conveying direction are supplied along first and second conveyor tracks, gathered into a stack and then folded. The folding of the stacked set (7) takes place with at least one predetermined folding length (a). In response to a difference between the folding length (a) and the size of the sheet (2) of the second size, which is within a predetermined range, the conveyor tracks (5, 6) are controlled by the control structure (9) for combining at least the sheets (1, 2) with leading edges (10, 11) at a mutual distance in the conveying direction (3) and with trailing edges (12, 13) at a mutual distance in the conveying direction (3) to form the set (7). From the combining until the folding, the sheets (1, 2) are mutually fixed and during folding, at least one fold (14) is provided in the sheets (1, 2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Neopost Technologies
    Inventor: Christiaan Antoon Munneke
  • Patent number: 8517369
    Abstract: To suppress a drop in printing productivity due to opening of a sheet storage unit in a group by a user instruction while printing is performed by switching two or more sheet storage units registered as the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kosuke Tsujita
  • Publication number: 20130214477
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a plurality of trays to store an index sheet provided with a tab at a predetermined position of the index sheet, a setting section to set first information concerning the index sheet stored in the tray for each of the plurality of trays, a receiving section to receive second information concerning an insertion of the index sheet in a job, and a controller to control an execution of the job and an operation of feeding the index sheet. The controller automatically selects the tray in the execution of the job based on the first information and the second information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: Yoshihisa KAMATA
  • Patent number: 8495957
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is, in an image-forming machine equipped with plural paper feeders that feed paper to a drum unit at different paper feed speeds due to the difference in the shapes of paper traveling routes, to control the image-forming machine so as to select a paper feeder suitable for the condition of printing-speed-priority. A stencil printing machine has three paper feeders; a paper feed table, a first tray, and a second tray. The maximum allowable printing speeds to a drum unit of the three paper feeders: differ from each other in accordance with the difference in the shapes of traveling routes; increase in the order of the paper feed table, the first tray, and then the second tray; and are stored as data. When a user carries out printing at the setting of speed-priority, a control unit of the machine and a paper feeder selection device select the paper feeder of the highest maximum allowable image-forming speed and carry out the printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Kato
  • Patent number: 8469353
    Abstract: A printing apparatus performs printing with the use of sheets of paper set in any of a plurality of paper-feeding units. The print apparatus is controlled by a method including: determining whether the amount of sheets of paper remaining in a first paper-feeding unit has reached a predetermined amount; and if so switching from the first paper-feeding unit to a second paper-feeding unit. If it is determined that the amount of sheets of paper that remain in the first paper-feeding unit has reached the predetermined amount, control is performed so that the paper-feeding unit that is used for printing should be changed after the ejection of the last one of a plurality of sheets of paper that are included in one set thereof set in the first paper-feeding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kouichi Unno
  • Publication number: 20130113155
    Abstract: A printing apparatus has a first storage unit, a second storage unit, a reception unit that receives a job, a switching unit that switches the storage unit that is used, from the storage unit currently in use to another storage unit holding the same type of sheets as the storage unit currently in use, when the remaining amount of sheets in the storage unit currently in use reaches a predetermined amount during the execution of the job, and a control unit that controls the timing at which blowing of air into the sheets held in the other storage unit is started, to vary this timing depending on whether the type of sheets held in the storage unit currently in use or in the other storage unit is the first type of sheets or the second type of sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
  • Publication number: 20130056922
    Abstract: To suppress a drop in printing productivity due to opening of a sheet storage unit in a group by a user instruction while printing is performed by switching two or more sheet storage units registered as the group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kosuke Tsujita
  • Patent number: 8262078
    Abstract: In a case that it is determined that a first feeding unit is not ready to feed upon designation of a first print job that requires air feeding, start of the first print job is waited until the first feeding unit is ready to feed. In a case that a second print job that requires roll feeding is accepted during waiting for the first print job, the second print job is executed, and the first print job that requires air feeding is executed after completion of the second print job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichiro Shibuya
  • Publication number: 20120217694
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus including a first tray having a first holding portion for holding sheets, a second tray disposed above the first tray and including a second holding portion for holding sheets, a sheet feeder that selectively feeds a sheet from one of the first tray and the second tray in a sheet feed direction, a recording unit that records an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeder, and a discharge roller that discharges the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit. The second holding portion of the second tray moves above the first holding portion of the first tray. The second tray further includes a discharged sheet receiving portion for receiving the sheet discharged by the discharge roller. The second tray including the discharged sheet receiving portion pivots relative to the first tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukio SHIOHARA, Tetsuo ASADA, Yuji KOGA
  • Patent number: 8167295
    Abstract: A printer is provided that includes a printing unit printing an image on a sheet being conveyed on a printing path, a first feeder unit configured such that a sheet placed thereon is fed to the printing path via a first feeding path, a second feeder unit configured such that a sheet placed thereon is fed to the printing path via a second feeding path even while the first feeder unit is being replenished with sheets, and a controller configured to, in response to a first requirement being satisfied while the first feeder unit is forbidden to be replenished with sheets during a continuous printing operation, switch an actually-working feeder unit that works for actual sheet feeding in the continuous printing operation, to the second feeder unit, the first requirement including a condition that one or more sheets are placed on the second feeder unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoki Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 8104756
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for selecting media trays for hole punching in an image production device in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include receiving a request to print a print job, the print job having a required number of media sheets, determining if print job requires hole punching, wherein if it is determined that print job requires hole punching, determining the media sheet capacity of one or more media trays, determining if the capacity of one of the one or more media trays is greater or equal to the number of media sheets required for the print job, wherein if it is determined that the capacity of one of the one or more media trays is greater or equal to the number of media sheets required for the print job, selecting one of the one or more media trays having the required number of media sheets for the print job, and printing the print job with media from the selected media tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Richard Bridges
  • Patent number: 8100392
    Abstract: The printer as an image forming apparatus supplies a plurality of types of tab sheet, and distinguishably discharges the tab sheets that became no longer necessary according to the type of tab sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Toshimi Shinchi, Tamotsu Sakuraba
  • Publication number: 20120014731
    Abstract: To provide an image forming apparatus that can highly accurately position and convey, even if an inter-sheet distance of sheets to be conveyed is reduced, the sheets from registration rollers to a transfer position when a toner image on an image bearing member moving at process speed is transferred onto the sheet in the transfer position. A sheet fed from a paper feeding cassette by a pulse-motor driven paper feeding roller is conveyed to pulse-motor driven registration rollers by pulse-motor driven conveying rollers. When the sheet is conveyed to the transfer position according to restart of the registration rollers, the sheet is conveyed by the registration rollers at sheet conveying speed different from the process speed before the leading end of the sheet reaches the transfer position and is conveyed at the process speed after that.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Kazumasa YASUI, Masaya Arakawa
  • Patent number: 8096544
    Abstract: A sheet containing device includes a supporting part that supports a first sheet and a second sheet, wherein the first sheet and the second sheet are different types of media, and the first sheet and the second sheet are stacked on one another; a feeding member that is located at a front end of the supporting part and that feeds the first sheet and the second sheet in correspondence with rotation of the feeding member; a sheet operating member that selectively prevents one of the first sheet and the second sheet from being fed by the feeding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Hiromi Kano
  • Publication number: 20110309567
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein include a composite feeding mechanism configured to process one or more jobs using a stack of feeder trays. The composite feeding mechanism can include the stack of feeder trays, a base unit, and a feeder unit. The feeder trays can hold substrate media to satisfy jobs and the base unit can support the stack of feeder trays. The feeder unit can remove the substrate media from a feeder tray located at the top of the stack to satisfy a job requirement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Richard Campbell
  • Patent number: 8002259
    Abstract: Described is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to create a vacant tray. The apparatus includes a paper sheet managing section to conduct consecutive operations including: acquiring the residual amount of the paper sheets accommodated in each of plurality paper sheet trays; calculating a total sum of residual amounts of paper sheets having the same attributes; comparing the above-calculated total sum with the maximum accommodating capacity of each of the paper sheet trays currently accommodating the paper sheets concerned; and notifying the operator of the fact that a vacant tray can be made by collecting the paper sheets concerned into a specific paper sheet tray, if there exists such paper sheets and a combination of paper sheet trays that make the total sum of the residual amounts of the paper sheets equal to or smaller than the maximum accommodating capacity of the specific paper sheet tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Kishimoto, Toshihisa Yamanaka, Yukihiko Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 7976011
    Abstract: When a first feeding unit is not ready to perform air feeding at the beginning of a print job, roll feeding using a second feeding unit is performed; when it is determined that the first feeding unit is ready to preform air feeding, air feeding using the first feeding unit is preformed. Upon execution of a print job by roll feeding, a preparation is started to make the first feeding unit ready to air feeding. When the first feeding unit is ready to execute the print job by air feeding, the print job is executed by exchanging roll feeding to air feeding using the first feeding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichiro Shibuya
  • Patent number: 7946570
    Abstract: A printer as an image forming apparatus controls to discharge the tab sheets that became no longer necessary when the type of tab sheets supplied is changed. Thus, the printer controls to discharge the tab sheets that became no longer necessary while printing a unit number of copies for a printing job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Toshimi Shinchi, Tamotsu Sakuraba
  • Patent number: 7938392
    Abstract: A method of controlling medium feeding in an image forming apparatus includes an image forming step of forming an image on a medium in response to an image forming request, and a feed control step of selecting one of a plurality of first medium feed units that feeds a medium corresponding to attribute information that matches medium attribute information included in the image forming request, and of selecting a second medium feed unit upon finding matching between attribute information indicative of a medium fed by the second medium feed unit and the medium attribute information included in the image forming request if none of the first medium feed units feeds a medium corresponding to the attribute information that matches the medium attribute information included in the image forming request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuka Saito, Yutaka Matsumoto, Nobuhiro Shindo, Daisuke Masui
  • Patent number: 7931264
    Abstract: In a case that it is determined that a first feeding unit is not ready to feed upon designation of a first print job that requires air feeding, start of the first print job is waited until the first feeding unit is ready to feed. In a case that a second print job that requires roll feeding is accepted during waiting for the first print job, the second print job is executed, and the first print job that requires air feeding is executed after completion of the second print job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichiro Shibuya
  • Publication number: 20110049784
    Abstract: A combined sheet inverting and buffering system and method including a sheet drive for transporting sheets into a sheet collecting area. The sheet drive is selectively operable to transport the sheets in a first and second direction along a processing path. A holding device can hold a plurality of sheets. The sheet drive and holding device cooperate to compile the plurality of sheets into a stack wherein the sheets overlie each other in a shingled manner. A take away drive is in operative communication with the sheets for individually unloading the sheets from the sheet collecting area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Barry P. Mandel, Henry T. Bober, JR.
  • Patent number: 7896336
    Abstract: A solenoid valve and an automatic document feeder using the solenoid valve are provided. The solenoid valve includes a valve body, a valve spindle, a spring, a ring-shaped groove and muffling ring. The ring-shaped groove is sheathed around the valve spindle. The muffling ring is disposed within the ring-shaped groove. When the valve body is magnetized to magnetically attract the valve spindle, the valve spindle is moved within the valve body, and the muffling ring collides with the recess inner wall, thereby reducing collision noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Kai Wang, Wen-An Huang, Chao-Min Yang, Wei-Hsun Hsu
  • Patent number: 7885597
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a tray, a sensor, and a transport mechanism. The tray holds a media stack. The transport mechanism moves the tray past the sensor to scan a side of the media stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: David Gast, Steven B. Elgee
  • Patent number: 7857301
    Abstract: A sheet feed device includes a motor that rotates in a first and second direction, a first transmitting mechanism having an upstream and a downstream portion, that transmits a rotational force in a first transmitting direction, a second transmitting mechanism having an upstream and downstream portion, that transmits the rotational force in a second transmitting direction, a first idling mechanism, and a second idling mechanism. When the motor transitions between rotating in the first direction and rotating in the second direction, the first idling mechanism allows the upstream portion of the first transmitting mechanism to perform an idle rotation with respect to the downstream portion of the first transmitting mechanism, and the second idling mechanism is configured to allow the upstream portion of the second transmitting mechanism to perform an idle rotation with respect to the downstream portion of the second transmitting mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Samoto
  • Patent number: 7852504
    Abstract: When the image forming device receives a print job including a print condition in its header, an operation control section extracts the print condition from the header, and makes an inquiry to a server. The server extracts an order table, indicative of a priority based on the extracted print condition, from a setting table in which a priority of sheets has been set in advance in accordance with the extracted print condition, and sends the order table by return to the image forming device. In the image forming device, a tray selection section generates a tray selection signal in accordance with the received order table and a detection signal, outputted from a tray detection section, which functions as sheet storage information of a sheet feeding tray section, so as to send the tray selection signal by return to the sheet feeding tray section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7815182
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for providing paper stack level calibration in a reproduction apparatus. According to various aspects of the invention, methods are provided for continuous feeding with a transition from one supply to another, and leaving a controlled number of sheets in the prior supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas K. Sciurba, James A. Zimmer, Jr., Michael T. Dobbertin
  • Patent number: 7770878
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: a plurality of paper feed trays in which paper sheets are to be stacked; paper feed units each provided to each of the plurality of paper feed trays, the paper feed units sucking or discharging air in accordance with setting values corresponding to types of paper sheet to carry the paper sheets stacked in the respective paper feed trays toward a paper path; a storage unit to store the setting values for the paper feed units according to the types of paper sheet; an input unit to input a change instruction value for changing at least one of the setting values; and a control unit to change the at least one of the setting values stored in the storage unit into the change instruction value and to store the changed at least one of the setting values into the storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenichi Hosoi
  • Patent number: 7770880
    Abstract: A technology for selecting a sheet feeding source in an image forming apparatus including a plurality of sheet feeding sources is disclosed. A rank is acquired for each of the sheet feeding sources from a search order. The search order defines ranks for possible setups of sheet feeding sources. Each acquired rank represents a setup of a sheet feeding source, which setup is available in the image forming apparatus. A sheet feeding source that satisfies a user specification and whose rank is highest is selected from among the sheet feeding sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuko Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7711302
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: a sheet feeding tray to store a sheet; an image forming section to form an image on the sheet; a fusing section to fuse the image; a controlling section to perform cleaning of the fusing section when a sheet has been nipped in the fusing section at an occurrence of a jam by passing a sheet through the fusing section after the jam is relieved; an operating section to set an allowed condition of a sheet; and a memory section to store an allowed condition, wherein the controlling section determines whether the sheet feeding tray stores a sheet which satisfies the allowed condition, and when the sheet feeding tray stores the sheet which satisfies the allowed condition, selects the sheet feeding tray and controls the sheet feeding tray to feed the sheet and controls the fusing section to pass the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroki Ueda
  • Patent number: 7699304
    Abstract: A paper feed cassette incorporates a storage portion for standard-sized paper and a storage portion for small-sized paper that has an area smaller than the standard-sized paper, further includes paper conveyance paths for guiding the standard-sized paper and small-sized paper from the respective storage portions to an image forming portion, and these paper conveyance paths share a common vertical portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takateru Yamamoto, Nobuya Kishi
  • Patent number: 7604229
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which is capable of feeding paper from a paper feeding unit when paper types set in selected paper feeding units are all the same type even if the selected paper feeding units do not include a paper feeding unit in which a predetermined paper type is set. At least one of paper feeding portions stacking a paper with the designated paper size is selected based on an attribute set to each of a plurality of paper feeding portions. in a case where a selected plurality of paper feeding portions do not include a paper feeding portion set with the predetermined attribute when the attributes set to the selected plurality of paper feeding portions are the same, a paper is fed to the image forming unit from any one of the selected plurality of paper feeding portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masanobu Inui
  • Patent number: 7578500
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus has: a tray on which sheets to be fed are stacked; a sheet feeding portion which separates and feeds the sheets stacked on the tray one by one; and a sensor which discriminates a type of sheet. In a state in which one sheet of the sheets stacked on the tray is protruded from the tray by the sheet feeding portion, the sensor discriminates the type of the protruded sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Tsuchida