Patents Examined by David M. Gray
  • Fixing device having hardness adjusting unit for adjusting a nip load, and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 9897953
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a hardness adjusting unit to adjust hardness of an outer circumferential surface of a fixing belt at a nip. When a sheet to be passed through the nip is an envelope, and the envelope is passed through the nip by side-flap sheet passing for feeding the sheet so that a fold line between an envelope body and a flap extends in a sheet passing direction through the nip, the hardness adjusting unit brings the outer circumferential surface of the fixing belt at the nip during passage of the sheet into a softer state than when the sheet is a plain sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Koji Takahashi
  • Roberval-type load cell
    Patent number: 9897495
    Abstract: A load cell includes a flexural element in which a Roberval mechanism is formed by a pair of top and bottom parallel beams each including two thin sections at a back and a front in a longitudinal direction, which are integrated with a fixed portion and a movable portion, and strain gauges bonded to the thin sections. Strain gauges are bonded to one of the thin sections of pulling side and to one of the thin sections of compressing side, and circular apertures are formed through the remaining two thin sections. The performances of the load cell such as the reduction of the measurement error and of the period of time before the start of the measurement are achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: A&D COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventor: Isao Sato
  • Drive transmission device and image forming apparatus including the same
    Patent number: 9891580
    Abstract: An elastic force of an elastic member 11 required for rotating a driven rotational body 8b is decreased. A first rotational body 8d and a second rotational body 9a arranged downstream of a driven rotational body 8b in a drive train that transmits a driving force from a driving rotational body 7 to a driven member 4 are included. The first rotational body 8d rotates in synchronization with the driven rotational body 8b. The second rotational body 9a is rotated by the first rotational body 8d and rotates the driven member 4. The first rotational body 8d rotates without rotating the second rotational body 9a when the driven rotational body 8b rotates by an elastic force of an elastic member 11.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideto Chino, Junichi Ochi
  • Method and system for pull testing of wire bonds
    Patent number: 9889521
    Abstract: A method for pull testing a wire bond. The method including the steps of: (i) with a wire bonding tool, bonding an end of a wire to make a bond at a first location on a bonding surface having a conductive material, such that the bond completes an electrical circuit; (ii) clamping the wire with a wire clamp; (iii) pulling the wire with the wire clamp to apply a predetermined pulling force; (iv) detecting whether the electrical circuit is open; and (v) if the electrical circuit is open, determining that there has been a bond failure, and automatically incrementing a bond failure count.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: ASM TECHNOLOGY SINGAPORE PTE LTD
    Inventors: Keng Yew Song, Yi Bin Wang, Qing Le Tan, Lin Wei Zheng, Jia Le Luo
  • Image forming apparatus performing toner purge processing
    Patent number: 9891552
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus prevents a transfer roller from slipping when discharge processing for supplying toner to a contact portion between a photosensitive drum and a cleaning blade is performed. The developing unit performs transfer operation to form band-like toner images on a photosensitive drum to supply a predetermined amount of toner to a contact portion between the photosensitive drum and a cleaning blade without causing the transfer roller to perform transfer operation, so that the predetermined amount of toner is supplied in a plurality of batches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Suzumi, Tomoo Akizuki, Jun Hara
  • Image forming apparatus with mirror adjustment unit
    Patent number: 9885867
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a first supporting unit and a second supporting unit, a first drive source, and a first and a second transmission unit. The first drive source is configured to provide a first drive force in a first direction and a second drive force in a second direction. When the first drive source provides the first drive force, the first transmission unit allows the first supporting unit to move by transmission of the first drive force and allows the second supporting unit to be in a stopped state by non-transmission of the first drive force. When the first drive source provides the second drive force, the second transmission unit allows the second supporting unit to move by transmission of the second drive force and allows the first supporting unit to be in a stopped state by non-transmission of the second drive force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masahiro Kodo
  • Micromechanical sensor system and corresponding manufacturing method
    Patent number: 9885626
    Abstract: A micromechanical sensor system includes a micromechanical sensor chip surrounded at least laterally by a molded housing which has a front side and a rear side. The micromechanical sensor chip includes a chip area on the rear side, which is omitted from the molded housing, and a rewiring device formed on the rear side, which, starting from the chip area, extends to the surrounding molded housing on the rear side, and from there, past at least one via from the rear side to the front side of the molded housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Frieder Haag, Hubert Benzel
  • Image forming device
    Patent number: 9885981
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a cover member, a conveying unit, a first rotor, a second rotor, a bearing unit, a biasing member, and a link member. The cover member includes a hook, and an opening/closing lever that moves the hook. The conveying unit is disposed on the inner side of the cover member, and is rotatably supported between an opened position and a closed position to the main body of the image forming device. The link member is swingably supported on the conveying unit, and is configured to engage with the bearing unit. By operating the opening/closing lever in a state where the conveying unit is in a closed position, the link member is pressed against the hook to swing so that the first rotor of the bearing unit should move in a direction away from the second rotor against biasing force from the biasing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Susumu Taniguchi
  • Cleaning blade, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge
    Patent number: 9880510
    Abstract: Provided is a cleaning blade including an elastic member, wherein a spin-spin relaxation time (T2) of the elastic member obtained by a solid echo method in a pulse NMR analysis is longer than or equal to 0.60 msec but shorter than or equal to 1.0 msec, and wherein the elastic member has a contact part to contact a surface of a cleaning target member, and the contact part contains a cured product of a curable composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaori Toyama, Masanobu Gondoh, Yohta Sakon, Shohei Gohda, Yuka Aoyama, Yuta Nakamura
  • Image forming apparatus, image forming unit, cleaning control method
    Patent number: 9880509
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a motor, a cleaning portion, a measurement processing portion, and a cleaning control portion. The image carrier is configured to carry an electrostatic latent image. The motor is configured to rotate the image carrier. The cleaning portion is configured to clean the image carrier. The measurement processing portion is configured to measure a transition time that is a time required for the motor to transition from a stationary state to a driving state in which the motor rotates at a predetermined speed. The cleaning control portion is configured to control a cleaning time of the cleaning portion or whether or not to cause the cleaning portion to clean the image carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Haruki Shoji, Okito Ogasahara, Naohiro Anan
  • Test board support platform for supporting a test board
    Patent number: 9874602
    Abstract: The invention provides a test board support platform for supporting a test board during tests, the platform comprising a heat conductive interface arranged to contact a bottom side of the test board at a first side of the heat conductive interface. The support platform also comprises a thermal conditioner coupled to a second side of the heat conductive interface, the second side being opposite the first side. By using this test board support platform a test board can be supported and thermally controlled in a way so that a DUT positioned on the test board can be probed from above, while the temperature is controlled from below.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Christian Jean-Gabriel Vincent, Jean Dalmon, Pierre Michel Georges Jalbaud
  • Toner container and image forming apparatus including shutter to open and close passing port
    Patent number: 9874834
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner container and a shutter mechanism. The toner container is attached to or detached from an apparatus main body along an attachment/detachment direction. The toner container has a passing port. The shutter mechanism has a container mount, a shutter plate and an opening/closing hook. The container mount is attached to the toner container. The shutter plate is supported on the container mount so as to be slidable along the attachment/detachment direction. The opening/closing hook is supported on the apparatus main body on one side in a direction crossing the attachment/detachment direction. The opening/closing hook disengages the shutter plate with the container mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Teruhiko Inada
  • Battery
    Patent number: 9874610
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a battery. The battery includes: a detecting apparatus, located inside the battery and on an anode or cathode end of the battery, and configured to detect an electric potential inside the battery; and a conducting wire, electrically connected to the detecting apparatus and insulated from the anode and cathode of the battery, and configured to export a value of the electric potential measured by the detecting apparatus. The battery according to embodiments of the present invention is provided with a built-in detecting apparatus, which is led out together with the anode and cathode of the battery by using the conducting wire electrically connected to the detecting apparatus. This design achieves accurate and reliable measurement of a potential at a single electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jie Ding
  • Cleaning unit and image forming apparatus
    Patent number: 9874847
    Abstract: A cleaning unit includes a cleaning member that removes a developer from a surface of an image holding member; an accommodating portion that accommodates the removed developer; and a transport member that transports the developer removed by the cleaning member to the accommodating portion, wherein the transport member includes a transport unit that extends in a direction intersecting with a developer transport direction, has a surface formed to be inclined in a direction approaching the cleaning member towards an upstream side, and transports the developer while contacting with the developer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mikio Yamaguchi, Hiroyuki Mamiya, Yosuke Ninomiya
  • Image forming apparatus having a lubricant and developer of opposite polarity
    Patent number: 9874848
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a cartridge including an image bearing member, and a developer bearing member that bears a developer. A lubricant of a polarity opposite to a polarity of the developer is coated on the developer bearing member, with the lubricant being a resin. If the cartridge is new, a discharging operation of discharging the lubricant from a surface of the developer bearing member onto the image bearing member is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuji Kawaguchi, Satoru Motohashi
  • Method for testing the tightness of cavities and device for decreasing convection and diffusion flow
    Patent number: 9869175
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for testing the tightness of cavities, which are already filled with a stored gas, by charging the with a test gas. At least the following steps are provided: overlayering the stored gas situated in the cavity with a test gas of a predefined amount, in such a manner that a barrier layer forms between the stored gas and the test gas, wherein the test gas has a lower density than the stored gas, releasing the test gas after a predetermined time, and balancing the amount of the test gas. A further aspect is providing a device for decreasing the convection and diffusion flow between a stored gas situated in a cavity and a test gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: UNTERGRUNDSPEICHER-UND GEOTECHNOLOGIES-SYSTEME GMBH
    Inventor: Amer Abdel Haq
  • Image forming apparatus that controls movement of a continuous sheet through a fixing unit
    Patent number: 9869958
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes: an image forming unit for forming an image on a continuous paper; a fixing unit for fixing by heat the image which has been formed on the continuous paper by the image forming unit; conveyance units for conveying the continuous paper; and a control unit for controlling the conveyance units to convey the continuous paper in such a manner that, when an image forming operation by the image forming unit is stopped, the same portion of the continuous paper, on which the image is not formed, does not remain in the fixing unit for a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Shinya Tanigami, Shingo Sasami, Shougo Fukai, Hideo Yamane
  • Image forming apparatus and removable unit
    Patent number: 9869966
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body including a mounting section provided with a first connection terminal, and a removable unit provided with a second connection terminal. The second connection terminal is held by a holding member that is mounted on a side surface portion of the removable unit while the holding member is displaceable in a direction that is orthogonal to a movement direction of the removable unit when the removable unit is mounted or removed and while the holding member is pushed towards an outer side of the side surface portion by an elastic member. When the removable unit is mounted, the holding member becomes displaced towards an inner side of the side surface portion, and the holding member becomes pushed towards the outer side of the side surface portion by the elastic member, so that the second connection terminal contacts the first connection terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Lei Yuan, Toshio Takiguchi
  • Locator self-test
    Patent number: 9869744
    Abstract: A detection apparatus with a self-test is presented. A detection apparatus such as a cable locator has an array of sensors in the form of ferrite antennas to detect an electromagnetic field produced by an object such as a buried cable. The signals are amplified, digitized and fed to a processing unit that outputs a detection signal to a display to indicate the detection of a cable. A programmable signal generator outputs a self-test signal via a voltage-current converter that is used to check the balance between the sensors. The self-test signal is directly coupled into each of the sensors through a wired connection and the processing unit uses the self-test signal to accurately determine the magnitude and phase balance of the sensors. The magnitude and phase data may be used to calibrate the instrument, apply data corrections or flag errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: METROTECH CORPORATION
    Inventor: Stevan Polak
  • Image forming apparatus including a developing unit to develop an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member
    Patent number: 9864299
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit configured to develop an electrostatic latent image, a mounting detection unit configured to detect that a container T is mounted on a mounting unit, a driving unit configured to rotate the container T, a rotation detection unit configured to detect rotation information about the container T, and a controller configured to control the driving unit based on the rotation information. If the container T is detected to be mounted on the mounting unit, control of the driving unit is not carried out based on the rotation information until replenishment information satisfies a predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Iikura, Kazunori Miyake, Shinya Suzuki, Toshifumi Kakutani, Yousuke Hata, Kazumi Sato