Patents Examined by Hoang X Ngo
  • Patent number: 11846893
    Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a casing having a groove recessed inward; a developing roller having an outer circumferential surface; a blade; and a blade holder having a first plate and a second plate. The developing roller is rotatable about a rotational axis extending in a first direction. The blade regulates a thickness of toner layer on the outer circumferential surface. The blade has one end portion and another end portion in a second direction. The another end portion of the blade is positioned farther from the outer circumferential surface than the one end portion of the blade is from the outer circumferential surface. The first plate extends in the second direction and supports the another end portion of the blade. The second plate extends from the first plate in a third direction crossing the second direction to have a distal end portion positioned within the groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuwen Wang, Junichi Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 11841642
    Abstract: A developer supply container 1 detachably mountable to a developer supplying apparatus 201 includes a developer accommodating portion 2 capable of accommodating a developer, a discharge opening 4a for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion 2 toward the developer supplying apparatus 201, a pump portion 3a for effecting a discharging operation through the discharge opening 4a, a communicating portion 4d provided at a position contacting the discharge opening 4a and capable of storing a constant amount of the developer, and a regulating portion 7 capable of taking a developer flow regulating state in which the flow of the developer into the communicating portion 4d and a developer flow non-regulating state in which the entering of the developer is not regulated, the regulating portion 7 taking the developer flow regulating state in a discharging operation of the pump portion 3a, wherein the regulating portion 7 is provided with an air flow path 7g for communicating between
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Yomoda, Ayatomo Okino, Manabu Jimba, Akihito Kamura, Takashi Enokuchi
  • Patent number: 11841463
    Abstract: Aspects of the technology employ sensors having high speed rotating mirror assemblies. For instance, the sensors may be Lidar sensors configured to detect people and other objects in an area of interest. A given mirror assembly may have a triangular or other geometric cross-sectional shape. The reflective faces of the mirror assembly may connect along edges or corners. In order to minimize wind drag and torque issues, the corners are rounded, filleted, beveled, chamfered or otherwise truncated. Such truncation may extend the length of the mirror side. The mirror assembly may employ one or more beam stops, light baffles and/or acoustic/aerodynamic baffles. These sensors may be employed with self-driving or manual driven vehicles or other equipment. The sensors may also be used in and around buildings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Paul Karplus, Blaise Gassend, David Duff
  • Patent number: 11841674
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body including a main contact, and a main guide, and a cartridge including a memory contact, a moving unit moving into and out of the apparatus body in a first direction and including a frame to which the cartridge is attached, first and second protrusions protruding in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction from the end surface of the frame, an intermediate contact being in electrical contact with the memory contact, an unit contact being in electrical contact with the main contact, and a line conductor, the first protrusion being supported by the main guide of the apparatus body, the second protrusion being located above the first protrusion. At least part of the line conductor connecting the intermediate contact and the unit contact is located in a recess formed by the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and the end surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Abe, Koji Wada
  • Patent number: 11841635
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developing container, a developing roller, a supplying roller, a first magnet including a first magnetic pole, a second magnet including a second magnetic pole and a third magnetic pole, and a regulating member provided opposed to the third magnetic pole. During non-image formation, an operation in a mode in which the supplying roller is rotated in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the supplying roller during image formation is executable. With respect to the rotational direction of the supplying roller during the image formation, a position where a magnet flux density of the third magnetic pole in a tangential direction to an outer peripheral surface of the supplying roller is zero is positioned downstream of an upstream end of the regulating member and upstream of the second magnetic pole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Fumiyoshi Saito
  • Patent number: 11841660
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image processor configured to convert image data based on a first conversion condition; an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet based on the image data converted by the image processor, the image forming unit having an image bearing member on which the image is to be formed, a transfer unit configured to transfer the image from the image bearing member onto the sheet, and a fixing unit configured to fix the image to the sheet; a conveyance roller configured to convey the sheet having the image fixed thereto; a reading unit configured to read a pattern image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance roller; and a detector configured to detect a pattern image on the image bearing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumito Tanaka, Sho Ikemoto, Tatsuomi Murayama, Yuko Kiyota, Hiroyuki Eda, Hiromi Shimura, Yuya Ohta, Shin Iwasaki, Rumi Konno, Yuga Yamauchi, Riki Fukuhara
  • Patent number: 11835919
    Abstract: A toner classification apparatus comprising a classification rotor, wherein the classification rotor comprises a first vane group containing first vanes and a second vane group containing second vanes, the second vanes have a length shorter than the first vane group; the number of second vanes, which are disposed between two adjacent first vanes, is 1 to 2, independently; each of the first vanes draws first trajectory and each of the second vanes draws second trajectory when the classification rotor rotates, a distance from the center of rotation to an outer circumference side end of the first and second trajectory are defined as L1 and L3, respectively, and a distance from the center of rotation to the center side end of the first and second trajectory are defined as L2 and L4, respectively, L1 to L4 satisfy prescribed relationships, and a toner production method using the toner classification apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Yamashita, Junichi Tamura, Ran Wakayama, Katsuyuki Katoh, Yuichi Mizo
  • Patent number: 11829100
    Abstract: [Problem to be solved] To further develop a prior art cartridge. [Solution] A cartridge includes a holding movable between a first position for stably holding a second unit in a spaced position by a first unit and a second position, and a contact force receiving portion capable of receiving a contact force for moving the holding portion from the first position toward the second position to move the second unit to a developing position, when the second unit is in the spaced position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Fukui, Shinjiro Toba, Takeo Kawanami, Shinichi Nishida, Yasuyuki Egami
  • Patent number: 11822286
    Abstract: Provided are a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each capable of suppressing an image defect (coarseness in a halftone image) caused by toner scattering in association with a charging failure that occurs when the process speed of the electrophotographic apparatus is further increased. The process cartridge includes: an electrophotographic photosensitive member; and a developing unit, which includes a toner storing portion that stores a toner, and which supplies the toner to a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member. The electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a surface protective layer containing an electroconductive particle in an appropriate amount, and the volume resistivity of the surface protective layer is controlled. As the toner, there is used a toner in which an organosilicon polymer is present on the surface of a toner particle, a silanol group is present in part of the organosilicon polymer, and the amount of the silanol group is controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Kenmoku, Kunihiko Sekido, Kozue Uratani, Koki Inoue, Tatsuya Saeki
  • Patent number: 11822277
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a tray which is movable between a housed position at which the tray is housed in a housing portion of a body and a drawn-out position, a first cartridge detachably attached to the tray and including a first developing roller, and a second cartridge detachably attached to the tray and including a second developing roller. In a contacting state where (i) the first cartridge and the second cartridge are attached to the tray, (ii) the tray is in the housed position, (iii) the first developing roller contacts a first photosensitive drum, and (iv) the second developing roller contacts a second photosensitive drum, a position of a first projection of the first cartridge and a position of a first holder to which a first memory is fixed at least partially overlap each other with respect to the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukio Kubo, Yu Fukasawa, Daisuke Abe
  • Patent number: 11815828
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrying member configured to carry a developer, containing toner and a carrier, for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearing member, a developer container configured to accommodate the developer, and an oscillation circuit including a resonance circuit including a coil and a circuit portion containing a capacitor and configured to oscillate a signal for detecting a toner concentration of the developer accommodated in the developer container. The coil is formed integrally with the developer container by a metal film, and the coil is disposed on an inner wall surface of the developer container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fumitaka Sobue, Koichiro Ino, Yosuke Hata, Masaaki Moriya, Norio Negishi
  • Patent number: 11815849
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrophotographic photosensitive member capable of suppressing the environmental fluctuation in the electrical characteristics. The present invention provides the electrophotographic photosensitive member in which the surface layer contains the compound having the specific structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Haruki Mori, Naoaki Ichihashi, Kenichi Ikari
  • Patent number: 11815826
    Abstract: In a developing unit, one of a frame body and an end portion member, which sandwich a bearing member rotatably supporting a developing roller in an axis direction of the developing roller, includes a hole portion depressed in the axis direction on a surface facing the bearing member, and the other of the frame body and the end portion member includes a protruding portion inserted into the hole portion. The protruding portion includes a first region that is press-fitted into an inner wall surface of the hole portion, and a second region that faces the inner wall surface with a gap therebetween, and at least the gap is filled with an adhesive via a communication hole that extends in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction such that the gap leads to an outside of the frame body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunsuke Hijikata, Sohta Sugimoto, Yasuyuki Egami
  • Patent number: 11809126
    Abstract: A charging member includes a conductive base material; an elastic layer that is provided on the conductive base material and has a storage elastic modulus G of 5.0 MPa or less at 100 Hz; and a surface layer that is provided on the elastic layer, in which in a Cole-Cole plot obtained by measuring the charging member in a range of 1 MHz to 0.1 Hz by an alternating current impedance method, a resistance component Ra of a capacitive semicircle including 2.5 kHz is 6.3×104? or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kinuta, Yuki Tagawa, Ken Ozaki, Noboru Hirakawa
  • Patent number: 11809095
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developer container to and from which a replenishment container is attachable and detachable and which includes an accommodating portion that accommodates developer and a replenishment port, an agitation member, an opening/closing member configured to be movable between a closed position and an open position, a drive source for driving the agitation member, and a control portion configured to control the drive source. The apparatus is configured such that image formation is not possible when the opening/closing member is at the open position, and the agitation member is capable of driving in a case where the opening/closing member is at the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ogawa, Masaaki Sato, Hiroshi Takarada, Koji Fujinaka, Akitoshi Toyota, Yuichiro Inaba, Kenichi Iida, Susumu Nittani
  • Patent number: 11803141
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device and a control unit. The fixing device includes a heating resistor formed of a positive temperature coefficient material. The control unit energizes the heating resistor with a first energization amount if a temperature of the heating resistor is lower than a predetermined temperature, and energizes the heating resistor with a second energization amount that is higher than the first energization amount if the temperature of the heating resistor is higher than the predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noboru Furuyama
  • Patent number: 11796945
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressing roller, a flat heater, a heater holder and a pair of mounting members. The flat heater has a first surface coming into contact with an inner circumferential surface of the fixing belt and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The heater holder comes into contact with the second surface of the flat heater. The mounting members comes into contact with both end portions of the first surface of the flat heater in the width direction, and are mounted to the heater holder such that the flat heater is held between the mounting members and the heater holder. The mounting member includes a downstream side end surface contact part which comes into contact with a downstream side end surface of the flat heater in the conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Watatani, Yuhiro Sakai
  • Patent number: 11796950
    Abstract: A conductive sheet capable of preventing erroneous reading and writing is provided. The conductive sheet according to one embodiment is configured to be positioned between a sheet tray of an image forming device and a sheet. The conductive sheet includes a base layer and a double conveyance prevention structure. The base layer comprises a conductive material positioned to overlap with a wireless tag of the sheet. The double conveyance prevention structure is coupled to or defined by the base layer. The double conveyance prevention structure is configured to prevent conveyance of the conductive sheet by the image forming apparatus when the conductive sheet overlaps the sheet in the sheet tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Tomiyama, Sadatoshi Oishi
  • Patent number: 11796951
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, an image forming portion, a transfer member, an applying portion, and an executing portion configured to execute an output operation for forming and outputting a chart formed on a recording material on which a plurality of test images are transferred by applying a plurality of voltages to the transfer member by the applying portion. The executing portion changes a change width per level of the test voltage so that the change width is a first change width in a case that a material of the recording material on which the chart is formed is a first material and so that the change width is a second change width different from the first change width in a case that the material of the recording material is a second material different from the first material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taisuke Matsuura
  • Patent number: 11796958
    Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge includes a photosensitive drum unit including a photosensitive drum, and a first and second positioning portions Configured to position the photosensitive drum unit relative to the main assembly; and a developing unit connected with the photosensitive drum unit, the developing unit including a developing roller, a storing means having a contact surface electrically connectable with a main assembly contact of the main assembly to communicate with the main assembly. As seen in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, a first line segment connecting the first positioning portion and the second positioning portion with each other and a first linear line passing through the contact surface and perpendicular to the contact surface crosses with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Munetsugu, Ryota Shibuya, Goshi Ozaki