Patents Examined by Howard J Sanders
  • Patent number: 10661839
    Abstract: A roller assembly for a hood actuation system includes a mounting block and a fastener having a shaft extending through the mounting block. The fastener is configured to couple the mounting block to an actuator of the hood actuation system. The roller assembly also includes at least one driving roller. The shaft of the fastener extends through an opening in the at least one driving roller to couple the at least one driving roller to the mounting block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Dana Lee Froemming, Michael Sylvester Bares, Jonathan Richard Nistler, Christopher Jerel Brosz
  • Patent number: 10661452
    Abstract: A linear extension and retraction mechanism has a plurality of flat-plate shaped first connection pieces and a plurality of grooved-frame shaped second connection pieces. Each of the first connection pieces is bendably connected at front and rear end surfaces to adjacent first connection pieces. Each of the second connection pieces is bendably connected at bottom front and rear end surfaces to adjacent second connection pieces. The first and second connection pieces become linearly rigid when overlapped together, and the first and second connection pieces return to a bent state when separated from each other. A cushion member is mounted on the front end surface of each first connection piece to cushion a shock of a collision between end surfaces of the first connection pieces. A slot section for fitting the cushion member is provided in the front end surface of each first connection piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: LIFE ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventor: Woo-Keun Yoon
  • Patent number: 10661454
    Abstract: A robot capable of preventing adhesion of a cutting fluid or the like on components thereof. The robot includes a robot arm, and a wrist connected to a distal end of the robot arm and including a plurality of movable elements connected to each other, and the movable elements being hollow elements, an end effector connected to a distal end of the wrist, a wire member laid to extend through the respective movable elements, and a cover to be mounted on the wrist so as to surround a connection between the two movable elements connected to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Motokado, Toshihiko Inoue
  • Patent number: 10656587
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a supporting shaft, a rotating unit removable from an installation portion, a movable shaft, and an interlocking device. The rotating unit includes first and second ends, a holding member that holds a rotating body that conveys a sheet. The supporting shaft supports the rotating unit at the first end in an axial direction of the rotating body. The movable shaft is movable in the axial direction and supports the second end. The interlocking device moves the movable shaft per the rotating unit movement. Where the rotating unit is to be moved at a moving amount towards a side in which the rotating unit separates from the supporting shaft as part of removing the rotating unit from the installation portion, the interlocking device moves the movable shaft in the axial direction at a moving amount that is larger than the moving amount the rotating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Koga
  • Patent number: 10654669
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide method for receiving sheets for a sheet supplying apparatus. The method includes converting an up and down motion of a tray to a rotational motion of a rotary member by a movement conversion mechanism, converting the rotational motion of the rotary member around a rotational axis to a linear motion of a cylindrical member parallel to the rotational axis by the rotary member and a cam and slider mechanism, and elastically pressing an end portion of the cylindrical member of the cam and slider mechanism in the rotational axis direction to lift the tray by a compression spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Wataru Ikeda
  • Patent number: 10641370
    Abstract: The invention relates to a ball screw including a spindle nut arranged on a lead screw, and balls, which roll on ball grooves of the spindle nut and of the lead screw, and a circumferential stop on the screw side and a circumferential stop on the nut side, the spindle nut being arranged in a sleeve surrounding the ball nut, the sleeve is formed from sheet metal by shaping and the nut-side circumferential stop is formed integrally on the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO. KG
    Inventors: Mario Kreutzer, Richard Baier, Markus Oswald, Dieter Adler
  • Patent number: 10616427
    Abstract: A medium feeding device includes a feed roller that feeds a medium from a medium placement unit on which the medium is placed a separation roller that nips the medium between the feed roller and the separation roller to separate the medium, a motor that applies a rotational torque to the separation roller, and a control unit that controls the motor. The rotational torque is transmitted to the separation roller from the motor not via a torque limiter and the separation roller separates the medium with the rotational torque applied to the separation roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kosuke Nomoto
  • Patent number: 10611404
    Abstract: The damper device includes the shaft, the large diameter portion housing and the impact absorbing member. When the large diameter portion does not apply an impact force on the flange portion, the elastic body is disposed at one of the inner peripheral surface of the housing and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion having a gap and when the large diameter portion applies the impact force on the flange portion, the elastic body is deformed in an axial direction to be deformed and is brought into contact with all of the inner peripheral surface of the housing, the restricting surface, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the flange portion. The impact receiving member is restricted from a relative movement relative to the housing by the deformed elastic body and the impact receiving member keeps a non-contact state with the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, NOK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Ohashi, Yuki Hanada
  • Patent number: 10604373
    Abstract: There is provided a recording system that can suppress a reduction in throughput when post-processing is performed in a post-processing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Kodama, Tomohiro Yasufuku
  • Patent number: 10604365
    Abstract: An image reading device includes a first roller that is rotatably supported by a frame, a second roller that is supported by the frame in a rotatable and translatable manner and that presses a medium against the first roller, a joint unit that transmits rotation from a drive shaft to the second roller, a drive unit that rotates both the first roller and the drive shaft, and a read unit configured to read an image on a conveyed medium that is conveyed by the rotation of the both of the first roller and the second roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: PFU Limited
    Inventor: Ryo Hayashi
  • Patent number: 10597244
    Abstract: The document conveying apparatus includes a body, a document tray, a guiding tray, a first support member that supports the document tray movably between a open position where a document is placed on the first document stacking face, and a close position where the document tray is closed, and a second support member that supports the guiding tray. The second support member positions the guiding tray at a first distance from the document tray, when the document tray is at the open position. The second support member positions the guiding tray at a second distance from the document tray, when the document tray is at the close position. The second distance is smaller than the first distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Niwata, Kiichiro Shimosaka
  • Patent number: 10589948
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a disengagement mechanism to disengage a rotary feeding member and a separation member to be apart from each other, a pressing portion to press an upper face of a sheet supported on a sheet supporting portion, and a detector to detect displacement of the sheet pressed by the pressing portion. A controller executes one mode among a plurality of modes to feed the sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion based on a detection result of the detector. In a first feed mode, a leading edge of the sheet passes a position of a separation portion with the rotary feeding member and the separation member disengaged by the disengagement mechanism. In a second feed mode, the leading edge of the sheet passes the separation portion with the rotary feeding member and the separation member engaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuma Inui
  • Patent number: 10577204
    Abstract: A stacking apparatus includes a limiting member which moves along a feeding direction and limits a trailing edge of a stacked sheet in the feeding direction, and a partition member which partitions a space at a height which is lower than a predetermined height, into a first space corresponding to a first stacking unit and a second space corresponding to a second stacking unit in a feeding direction. The partition member includes a first opening portion for communicating the first space and the second space with each other, and a second opening portion that allows the limiting member to move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Nisca Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Yazawa
  • Patent number: 10577206
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer section that transfers an image onto a sheet; a sheet conveying member that conveys the sheet, the sheet conveying member being provided upstream of the transfer section in a sheet conveyance direction; and a hardware processor that controls displacement of the sheet conveying member so that the sheet is displaced along a width direction of the sheet. The hardware processor sets a displacement speed of the sheet conveying member for the sheet during transfer of the image by the transfer section to be lower than the displacement speed of the sheet conveying member for the sheet before the transfer of the image by the transfer section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Takahiro Okubo, Yasuo Shiokawa, Yoshiteru Kawakami
  • Patent number: 10556763
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sheet feeding apparatus including a tray unit capable of stacking a sheet at an opened position; a feeding member which feeds the sheet stacked on the tray unit; a feed supporting portion which supports the feeding member such that the feeding member is capable of moving to a feeding position for feeding the sheet stacked on the tray unit and to a storage position at which the feeding member is stored in the apparatus main body; and an urging portion which urges the feeding member toward the feeding position, wherein the feed supporting portion includes an abutting portion which abuts against a region other than a sheet stacking region of the tray unit for moving the feed supporting portion and for moving the feeding member to the storage position when the tray unit moves from the opened position to the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keitaro Taoka
  • Patent number: 10556762
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes first, second, and third rotating members, a switching unit, and a regulating member. The first rotating member rotates in one direction to convey, with the second rotating member, a sheet in a first direction and convey, with the third rotating member, the sheet in a second direction different from the first direction. The switching unit switches the first rotating member between first and second positions. The first position is a position in which the first rotating member coveys a sheet with the second or third rotating member. The second position is a position to which the first rotating member is retracted from the first position. Where the first rotating member moves from the first position, the regulating member regulates the sheet position so that a sheet rear end held by the second and third rotating members is positioned above a first rotating member moving trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Ogata, Motohiro Furusawa
  • Patent number: 10554832
    Abstract: There is provided a roller including: a shaft, and an elastic body portion that is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the shaft, in which the elastic body portion includes a plurality of first recessed portions which are provided on one side of the roller in a shaft mounting direction at intervals in a circumferential direction of the roller and each have a bottom portion, and a plurality of second recessed portions which are provided on the other side of the roller in the shaft mounting direction at intervals in the circumferential direction of the roller and each have a bottom portion, and in which each of the first recessed portions is positioned between the adjacent second recessed portions in the circumferential direction of the roller in the side view of the roller in the shaft mounting direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenobu Maruyama, Kenta Anegawa, Hidehito Okuhara, Takashi Kawabata, Naohiro Daito
  • Patent number: 10543700
    Abstract: An example system includes a pressure plate actuating portion. The pressure plate actuating portion includes a cam gear coupled to a cam arm and a pressure plate arranged to be driven by the cam arm as the cam arm rotates with the cam gear through a pick-up cycle, the pressure plate being biased in a first direction toward the cam arm with a pressure plate spring. The example system also includes a pressure plate release control portion, the pressure plate release control portion being arranged to transfer potential energy from the pressure plate spring in a gradual manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Keith Jariabka, Kyle Loucks, Mark Groenenboom
  • Patent number: 10547753
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a reflected-light passing unit having a passing region through which a portion of reflected light that is the scanning light reflected by the medium passes. An outer peripheral contour line of the passing region includes a contour curve configured with a set of points where coordinates in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction are uniquely determined for the coordinates in the scanning direction. The contour curve renders a curve protruded toward the passing region. When a region in contact with the contour curve in the passing region is divided into a plurality of quadrilateral minute regions having equivalent areas and extending from the contour curve to a predetermined coordinate position in the scanning direction and are continuously arranged in the orthogonal direction, widths of the minute regions in the scanning direction are different for each location in the orthogonal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Otsuka, Seiichi Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 10543998
    Abstract: An apparatus for aligning at least one note of value along a transport path includes at least one transport element driven by at least one first drive unit and at least one counter-pressure element arranged opposite to the transport element. The transport path of the note of value extends between the transport element and the counter-pressure element. The counter-pressure element is ball-shaped and is mounted so as to be freely rotatable. Further, the apparatus includes a second drive unit for displacing the transport element along its axis of rotation so that a note of value arranged between the transport element and the counter-pressure element is moved transversely to the transport direction during displacement of the transport element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH
    Inventors: Dirk Langhuber, Thomas Kemmerling, Michael Schild, Ludger Hoischen, Paul Freitag