Patents Examined by Carla J Therrien
  • Patent number: 11409220
    Abstract: According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor and a memory on which are stored machine-readable instructions that when executed by the processor, may cause the processor to print a first indicia at a first region on a first side of a print medium. The instructions may also cause the processor to print a second indicia at a second region on the first side of the print medium, in which the second region may be spaced a prescribed distance from the first region along a first edge of the print medium. In some examples, a relative position of the first indicia to the second indicia may correlate to a skew correction value for the first edge of the print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Mark J. Wibbels
  • Patent number: 11402774
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing film, a heater for heating the fixing film, a heater holder including a heater holding portion holding the heater, and a pressing roller forming a nip between itself and the fixing film to be heated by the heater. In the nip, a toner image carried on a recording material is fixed. The heater holder includes an opposing surface which is provided on a side upstream of the heater holding portion with respect to a recording material feeding direction and which opposes the pressing roller, a lubricant holding portion provided on the opposing surface, for supplying a lubricant to between the fixing film and the heater, and a projected portion provided on the side upstream of the heater holding portion with respect to the recording material feeding direction and projecting toward the pressing roller from the opposing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toru Imaizumi
  • Patent number: 11397397
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer device, a sensor, and a processor. The processor compares a surface potential difference between a first surface potential and a second surface potential of the image carrier to a threshold to detect that a surface potential difference exceeding the threshold is generated in the image carrier in a state where the supply of the developer from the developing unit to the image carrier is inhibited, the first surface potential being a surface potential of the image carrier to which the transfer bias measured by the sensor is not applied, and the second surface potential being a surface potential of the image carrier to which the transfer bias is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroki Tashiro
  • Patent number: 11385579
    Abstract: According to at least one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a voltage measuring device, a fixing device, and a controller. The voltage measuring device measures an input voltage. The fixing device includes a heater that heats a sheet. When the measured voltage becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value, the controller determines a heating timing of the heater based on the voltage and activates the heater at the determined heating timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yohei Doi
  • Patent number: 11385582
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a transfer unit that transfers a toner image onto a recording medium that has first and second surfaces and is conveyed in a conveyance direction; a main heating unit arranged downstream of the transfer unit in the conveyance direction, and which contacts and heats the recording medium and fixes the toner image onto the recording medium; a reversing unit that reverses front and back of the recording medium having a first toner image fixed onto the first surface; and a preheating unit arranged between the transfer and main heating units in the conveyance direction and that heats the recording medium having a second toner image transferred onto the second surface. The preheating unit heats the recording medium so that a temperature of the first surface is lower than a softening point of a toner before the recording medium is heated by the main heating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Tokuya Sakamoto, Takayuki Yamashita, Tetsuro Kodera, Kosuke Yamada, Yoshiki Shimodaira, Masato Yamashita
  • Patent number: 11385587
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first detector detecting an operation sound based on a sound wave received by a receiver; a second detector detecting basis weight of recording material based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted from a transmitter and received by the receiver; a switching unit that switches destination of a reception signal from the receiver between a first path to the first detector and a second path to the second detector; and a controller that controls the switching unit such that the reception signal is output to the first path at a first timing and to the second path at a second timing. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the controller controls the switching unit such that the reception signal is output to the second path at the first timing or to the first path at the second timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsunobu Mori, Yohei Suzuki, Seiji Hara, Yasuhisa Matsumoto, Junya Azami, Masafumi Monde, Hirotaka Shiomichi, Tatsuya Hotogi
  • Patent number: 11378896
    Abstract: According to aspects of the present disclosures, a controller of an image forming apparatus is configured to determine, when printing is started, whether a particular condition is satisfied, the particular condition being satisfied when an elapsed time from a time when the polygon mirror starts rotating to a time when a rotation speed of the polygon mirror has reached a determination speed which is slower than a target speed is less than an upper limit time, when the particular condition is determined to be satisfied, feed the sheet from the sheet tray with the feed roller before the rotation speed reaches the target speed, and when the particular condition is determined not to be satisfied, feed the sheet from the sheet tray with the feed roller after the rotation speed has reached the target speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takato Mori
  • Patent number: 11360406
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: a photoconductor; a developing device; a developer storage; a supplier configured to supply developer; an optical sensor; and a controller configured to execute: a developing process of developing an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor; a usage-amount obtaining process of obtaining a usage amount of the developer; a supplying process of supplying the developer to the developing device every time when the obtained usage amount becomes equal to or greater than a first threshold; and a detecting process of detecting, by the optical sensor, an amount of the developer in the developing device every time when the obtained usage amount becomes equal to or greater than a second threshold larger than the first threshold, and wherein the controller is configured to execute the detecting process in a period different from a period in which the developing process is being executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Kazuma Hinoue, Takashi Yasuda, Takashi Shimizu, Yoshifumi Kajikawa
  • Patent number: 11347165
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt, an inner roller, an outer member, an inner roller position changing mechanism, an acquiring portion, and a controller. In a case that information acquired by the acquiring portion shows that first and second recording materials are coated paper, the controller controls a position changing mechanism so that a position of the inner roller when a toner image is transferred onto the second recording material is changed to a second position. In a case that the information acquired by the acquiring portion shows that the first and second recording materials are plain paper, the controller controls the position changing mechanism so that the position of the inner roller when the toner image is transferred onto the second recording material is maintained at a first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Kakehi, Ryosuke Tsuruga, Tatsuya Kohno, Manato Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11340541
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, an exposure device, a developing device, a primary transfer device, a secondary transfer device, and a control unit. The exposure device exposes the image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier. The developing device forms a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image using toner. The primary transfer device primarily transfers the toner image to a transfer body. The secondary transfer device applies a transfer bias to secondarily transfer the toner image to a recording medium. The control unit applies a cleaning bias to the secondary transfer device to remove residual toner after the secondary transfer. When the control unit determines that the toner image based on the exposed electrostatic latent image is not secondarily transferred at a predetermined timing, the first cleaning processing is performed until the subsequent processing is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazufumi Ishida, Ken Iguchi
  • Patent number: 11334003
    Abstract: A binary ink developer (BID) may include a power supply electrically coupled to an electrode, a developer roller, and a cleaner roller. The BID may also include a controller to determine a level of image ghosting based on a sum of currents at the electrode, the developer roller and the cleaner roller, and instruct the power supply to provide an adjusted voltage to the cleaner roller in response to a determination of the level of image ghosting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Eric G. Nelson
  • Patent number: 11320762
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a controller configured to switch between a first speed printing where a polygon mirror rotates at a first speed and laser light is at a first power and a second speed printing where the polygon mirror rotates at a second speed slower than the first speed and laser light is at a second power lower than the first power. The polygon mirror rotates at the first speed and laser light is at the first power when a first test pattern is formed. The polygon mirror rotates at the first speed and laser light is at the second power when a second test pattern is formed. The first speed printing is executed based on a detection result of the first test pattern. The second speed printing is executed based on a detection result of the second test pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takahiro Kojima
  • Patent number: 11320761
    Abstract: An electrophotographic printer includes a charge roller in charge-transferring relation to a photoconductive imaging portion. The printer may determine an AC voltage setpoint of the charge roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Seongsik Chang, Brad Thomas Dransfield, Eric G. Nelson, Bruce J. Jackson, Omer Gila, Anthony William McLennan, Asaf Anufa, Daniel Espinosa
  • Patent number: 11314190
    Abstract: An imaging system includes a roller that conveys a printing medium, a medium sensor that detects a medium property of the printing medium conveyed by the roller, and a controller that adjusts a conveyance speed of the printing medium by the roller based on the medium property detected by the medium sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Yuichiro Tomishima, Hirokazu Yukawa, Sachiyo Yamada
  • Patent number: 11294302
    Abstract: A developer cartridge including a housing, a spring auger, and a rotation member. The housing accommodating a developer and including a first end portion and a second end portion in a lengthwise direction. The housing is to discharge the developer through a developer discharge outlet coupled to the housing and adjacent to one of the first end portion and the second end portion. The spring auger is located inside the housing and is to rotate to transport the developer to the developer discharge outlet. The rotation member is located at the first end portion of the housing and connected to a first end of the spring auger to rotate the spring auger. A first portion of a bottom surface of the housing is flat and a second portion of the bottom surface is internally convex from the first portion are repeatedly arranged on the bottom surface in the lengthwise direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Youngkwang Shin, Seung-Chan Park, Dong-Uk Kim
  • Patent number: 11294307
    Abstract: A recording material cooling device includes a belt; a cooling member, a first roller, a second roller, an urging member for urging a bearing portion so that the second roller moves toward an inner peripheral surface of the belt, a holding member, for holding the urging member, and a moving member for moving the holding member between a first position for enabling rotation of the belt by stretching said belt by the first roller and the second roller and a second position for facilitating exchange of the belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Tanaka, Keita Kondo, Yuki Inoue, Shingo Katano
  • Patent number: 11294312
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating member, a temperature sensor to output detection values for determining a temperature of the heating member, a first amplifier to amplify a difference value between the detection values with a first amplification factor, a second amplifier to amplify the difference value with a second amplification factor, a converter to generate first temperature information through analog-to-digital conversion of the difference value amplified by the first amplifier, generate second temperature information through analog-to-digital conversion of the difference value amplified by the second amplifier, and generate compensation temperature information, and a temperature determiner to determine the temperature of the heating member based on the second temperature information and the compensation temperature information, in a particular temperature range, and determine the temperature of the heating member based on the first temperature information and the compensation temperature i
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daisuke Noda, Yuya Harada
  • Patent number: 11281127
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotating body that regulates a movement of a transfer roller in a direction along a rotating shaft of the transfer roller. The rotating body includes a first portion located at a first distance from the rotating shaft of the transfer roller in a direction intersecting the rotating shaft of the transfer roller and a second portion located at a second distance that is nearer than the first distance. The rotating body takes a first position for supporting the transfer roller in a separating position by making the first portion abut on the cover in a state where the side cover is closed. The rotating body takes a second position where the second portion is directed to the cover and the transfer roller is in an abutting position in a state where the side cover is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Norio Kouzu
  • Patent number: 11281146
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment includes an image carrier that moves in a first direction, a developing device, a detector, and a determination unit. The developing device uses a developer on the surface of the image carrier to forma strip-shaped image inclined with respect to the width direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the image carrier. The detector detects the density difference occurring in the strip-shaped image formed on the surface of the image carrier while moving in the width direction. The determination unit determines based on a detection result by the detector whether or not there is an abnormality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroki Tashiro
  • Patent number: 11275331
    Abstract: A heater includes a single plate substrate that extends along a first direction, and a first heat generating member disposed on a first surface of the substrate and covering a first portion of the first surface. The first heat generating member has electrodes formed at both end portions thereof in a second direction crossing the first direction and is electrically connected to a power source. The heater further includes a second heat generating member disposed on a second surface of the substrate and covering a second portion of the second surface at a location on the substrate that is offset with respect to a location of the first portion on the substrate in the first direction. The second heat generating member has electrodes formed at both end portions thereof in the second direction and is electrically connected to the power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Osamu Takagi