Patents Examined by Hoan H. Tran
  • Patent number: 11474472
    Abstract: An image carrying member unit includes an image carrying member, a flange member, a shaft member, and a grounding member. The grounding member has a first bottom plate portion electrically connecting to the shaft member, and a pair of flat spring portions. Each flat spring portion has a first spring segment and a second spring segment bent from the tip end of the first spring segment via a second bent portion outward in the radial direction of the image carrying member to extend to approach the first bottom plate portion. Before insertion in the image carrying member, the distance between the second bent portions of the flat springs is smaller than the inner diameter of the image carrying member and the distance between tip end parts of the second spring segments is larger than the inner diameter of the image carrying member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Yuzo Harada, Masahiro Ueno
  • Patent number: 11474450
    Abstract: A developing cartridge may include: a casing for accommodating developer therein; a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction and positioned at one side of the casing in a second direction; a storage medium having an electric contact surface; and a holder movable relative to the casing in the second direction with the electric contact surface between a first position and a second position, the holder having an outer surface at which the electric contact surface is positioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nao Itabashi
  • Patent number: 11474451
    Abstract: A developing cartridge may include: a casing for accommodating developer therein; a developing roller rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction and positioned at one side of the casing in a second direction; a storage medium having an electric contact surface; and a holder movable relative to the casing in the second direction with the electric contact surface between a first position and a second position, the holder having an outer surface at which the electric contact surface is positioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nao Itabashi
  • Patent number: 11467524
    Abstract: An image forming system includes: a sheet feeder; an image former that forms an image on a paper sheet; a conveyor that conveys a paper sheet to a sheet ejection destination; a switcher that switches sheet ejection destinations; a reader that optically reads a paper sheet, and outputs a read image; an abnormal sheet detector that detects an abnormal paper sheet by analyzing the read image; a storage; a display; and a hardware processor that performs: ejection destination switch control to control the switcher to eject an abnormal paper sheet and a succeeding paper sheet to a second ejection destination different from a regular ejection destination; storage control, for each of the abnormal paper sheet and the succeeding paper sheet, to associate sheet information, the read image, and a stacking order with one another, and store them into the storage; and display control to cause the display to display them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Kazunari Shimono
  • Patent number: 11467513
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a charger, an exposure device, a development device and a pressing mechanism. The developer carrier is pressed on the image carrier with a predetermined pressing force to form a nip area between the roller part and the image carrier. A roller part of the developer carrier has an Asker C hardness of 65° or more and 73° or less. When the pressing force is set to X (N) and a width of the nip area in a circumferential direction of the image carrier is set to Y (?m), 3.0?X?8.0 and 550?Y?700, and the following expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied, Y ? 31. X + 393.2 ? and , ( 1 ) Y ? 47. X + 450.1 .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Tamaki, Takahisa Nakaue, Kotatsu Kawaguchi, Masahito Ishino, Yukari Ota
  • Patent number: 11467530
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, having a housing, a drawer, and a cartridge, is provided. The drawer is movable between an inner position and an outer position. The cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a drum cover. The photosensitive drum is rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction. The drum cover is movable with respect to the photosensitive drum between a first position and a second position. The drawer includes a guide, a stopper, and a contacting portion. The guide guides the cartridge in a second direction, when the cartridge is being attached to the drawer. The stopper stops the cartridge from separating from the guide in a third direction. The contacting portion contacts the drum cover and move the drum cover from the first position to the second position in a state where the cartridge is being guided by the guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuo Fukamachi, Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 11460804
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body housing, a drawer, a drum cartridge and a toner cartridge. The drawer is movable in a first direction between an inner position at which the drawer is located inside the main body housing and an outer position at which the drawer is located outside the main body housing. The drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum. The drum cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the drawer. The toner cartridge accommodates toner. When the drum cartridge is attached to the drawer and the drawer is at the inner position, the toner conveyor conveys toner from the toner cartridge to the drum cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasumasa Fujii, Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 11460801
    Abstract: A developing cartridge may include a housing configured to hold toner. The cartridge may further include a developing roller including a developing roller shaft, a supply roller including a supply roller shaft, a developing electrode and a supply electrode. The developing electrode and supply electrode may be configured to guide an electrical contact of an image forming apparatus in one or more directions. In some examples, the developing electrode and supply electrode may have angled surfaces that extend toward one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeyuki Takagi, Hiroki Mori
  • Patent number: 11454903
    Abstract: A cartridge attachable to an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, the apparatus main body having a restricting portion and to which the cartridge is mounted by being moved from a unmounted position to a mounting-completed position in a first direction, the cartridge includes a developer container provided with a supply port, and a shutter movable between an opening position for opening the supply port and a closing position for closing the supply port, having a restricted portion, and configured to be in the closing position when the cartridge is in the unmounted position and be in the opening position when the cartridge is in the mounting-completed position, wherein a movement of the shutter in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is restricted by an engagement between the restricting portion and the restricted portion when the cartridge is in the mounting-completed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jiro Yamada, Joji Goto, Shota Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11454922
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an electrically conductive and grounded frame, an image forming unit, a print head, a holder that supports the print head, an electrically conductive urging member for urging the print head toward the image forming unit, and an electrically conductive arm extending from the urging member and electrically connected to the urging member. The arm floats when the print head moves away from the image forming unit and is electrically connected to the frame when the print head approaches the image forming unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshihiro Matsushima
  • Patent number: 11454921
    Abstract: Examples of a host device that includes an input recess are described. In some examples, the input recess includes a rotating port cover offset from a central axis of the input recess. In some examples, the input recess includes a plurality of contacts disposed on an interfacing surface of the input recess to interface with a print particle replenishment device when the rotating port cover is rotated. In some examples, the plurality of contacts interfaces with a control device to authenticate the print particle replenishment device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Ji-Won Moon, Min-Chul Lee, Kwangsung Park, Yuntae Kim, Jinwoo Noh, Matthew James Storey, Seungsup Lee, Zackary Thomas Hickman, Amy Moon Williams, An Tran, Bennett Alexander Nadeau
  • Patent number: 11454918
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a drawer, a drawer-side electrical contact, a cover, a main body-side electrical contact and an elastic member interposed between a base and a panel. The main body-side electrical contact and the panel are held to be movable relative to the base in a third direction as being an extension and contraction direction of the elastic member. The image forming apparatus takes: a first state where the cover is open, the drawer-side electrical contact contacts the main body-side electrical contact, and the elastic member has a first length; and a second state where the cover is closed, the drawer-side electrical contact contacts the main body-side electrical contact, and the elastic member in the third direction has a second length shorter than the first length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shota Shinoya
  • Patent number: 11454905
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carrying members, an intermediate transfer belt, a plurality of rollers, and a correcting mechanism. The intermediate transfer belt is endless and, to it, toner images formed on the image carrying members respectively are transferred by being sequentially superposed on each other. The correction mechanism includes a slanted bearing, which rotatably supports a tension roller, and a main body guide roller, which makes contact with the slanted bearing when it moves as a result of the intermediate transfer belt meandering and which moves the slanted bearing along with one end of the tension roller in the axial direction in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction to correct meandering of the intermediate transfer belt with respect to the tension roller. The main body guide roller is a rotary member which rotates while in contact with the slanted bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Takashi Kainuma
  • Patent number: 11454925
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a drum cartridge to which one of a first toner cartridge and a second toner cartridge is attachable; a frame including a first slot and a second slot; and a controller including a control memory and a processor. The drum cartridge to which the one of the first toner cartridge and the second toner cartridges is attached is attachable to one of the first slot and the second slot. The control memory stores first color information allocated to the first slot, and second color information allocated to the second slot. In a state where the drum cartridge is attached to one of the first slot and the second slot and when the drum memory does not store any color information, the processor is configured to perform: writing, into the drum memory, one of the first color information and the second color information which is appropriate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Tomoyasu Yabuki, Tadao Kyotani, Nao Itabashi
  • Patent number: 11448462
    Abstract: A plurality of modular units are connected together on a slightly sloped drainage field with a perforated header pipe at the lower side conveying water away from the drainage system. An impermeable flexible liner cushioned on both sides is located below the modular units. The modular units are each made up of rigid boxes that have connecting cross slots at the bottom thereof and vertical perforations there through. The rigid boxes are lined with a drainage fabric that is site specific and have an expanded geosynthetic material therein, which is held in place when filled with porous granular material. High flexural strength mats are connected together over the tops of the modular units. An air inlet pipe connects air to the cross slots, down the sloped drainage field, to the header pipe to drain water from the bulk granular material resting on the high flexural strength mats. Some of the modular units have a pneumatic vibrator connected to a source of pressurized air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: R.T.D. ENTERPRISES
    Inventors: Troy W Emery, Robbie W Emery, Karl V Krotzer, Jacob L Baumler
  • Patent number: 11442399
    Abstract: The developing cartridge herein has a housing, a developing roller rotatably supported by it, the developing roller rotating about an axis in a direction, a supply roller rotatably supported by the housing and configured to convey a developer to the developing roller, the supply roller having a supply roller shaft, a driving gear on a driving side of the housing in the direction, and an electrode electrically connected to the developing roller shaft. The electrode has first and second parts, and an intermediate part connecting them. The first part is on an opposite side of the driving side of the housing, the second part is on the driving side, and the opposite side of the driving side and the driving side are opposite ends of the housing in the direction, and the second part is simultaneously in contact with the supply roller shaft and the developing roller shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: JIANGXI YIBO E-TECH CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Xiaobing Liu, Haifeng Gu, Shiping Ao, Liangliang Hu, Xiaomin Gong
  • Patent number: 11442398
    Abstract: A drum cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum; a drum frame; a drum coupling; and an electrical contact surface. The photosensitive drum is rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction. The drum frame has one end portion in a second direction at which the photosensitive drum is positioned. The drum coupling is rotatable together with the photosensitive drum. The drum coupling is positioned at an outer surface of one side in the first direction of the drum frame. The electrical contact surface is positioned closer to another side in the second direction of the drum frame than the drum coupling is to the another side in the second direction of the drum frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Mori, Atsushi Fukaya, Tsubasa Kiriyama, Nao Itabashi
  • Patent number: 11442383
    Abstract: A cooling device for cooling a recording material on which a toner image is fixed includes: a rotatable feeding belt configured to feed the recording material by rotation; a rotatable member configured to nip and feed the recording material in cooperation with the feeding belt; and a heat sink contacting an inner peripheral surface of the feeding belt. The feeding belt contains a fluorine-containing resin additive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunari Hatazaki
  • Patent number: 11435691
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a drawer movable between an inside position and an outside position; a drum cartridge including a photoconductive drum rotatable about a first axis; and a developing cartridge including a developing roller rotatable about a second axis. The drum cartridge includes a first developing-roller guide pivotable between a first position where the first developing-roller guide guides the developing roller when the developing cartridge is mounted on the drawer with the drum cartridge being mounted on the drawer, and a second position where the first developing-roller guide guides the developing roller with the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge being mounted on the drawer. The second axis is located below the first axis in a state in which the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge are mounted on the drawer, and the first developing-roller guide is located at the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 11435679
    Abstract: A transfer unit, provided in an image forming apparatus having an image bearing member to bear a toner image, includes an endless belt, a transfer member, a collecting member, a storage container, a conveyance member, and a detection unit. The transfer member transfers the toner image from the image bearing member to the endless belt. The collecting member recovers toner remaining on the endless belt. The conveyance member rotates to convey toner from an inflow port inside the storage container. The detection unit detects a load which the conveyance member receives when rotating. The rotational axis direction is a direction which is perpendicular to neither a movement direction of the endless belt nor a width direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the endless belt. The conveyance member includes a force receiving portion configured to receive a force from the toner conveyed in a state the conveyance member is rotating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norihiro Matsumoto, Yuichiro Inaba, Akinori Mitsumata