Patents Examined by Prasad V Gokhale
  • Patent number: 11198576
    Abstract: A technique that enables application of additional conveyance force to a print medium and conveyance of various sizes of print media without multi-feed is described. A conveyance device includes a feed unit, a first conveyance unit that conveys a print medium, and a second conveyance unit that conveys a print medium fed by the feed unit to the first conveyance unit, and is capable of correcting the skew of a print medium by causing the second conveyance unit to convey the print medium with its leading edge in abutment with the first conveyance unit. This conveyance device is configured to cause the feed unit to apply conveyance force to a print medium conveyed by the second conveyance unit, depending on the size of the print medium in the conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuki Matsuo, Seiji Ogasawara, Takaaki Ishida, Shuichi Tokuda, Masakazu Tsukuda, Masaaki Matsuura
  • Patent number: 11186455
    Abstract: A housing is formed with a first opening and a sheet conveyance path. A tray is inserted into the housing through the first opening in a first direction and pulled out in a second direction opposite from the first direction. The tray supports a sheet. The tray includes a bottom plate, a front plate, and a cover. The bottom plate supports a sheet. The front plate protrudes upward from an end portion of the bottom plate in the second direction. The cover is configured to move between a first position at which the cover closes a second opening and a second position at which the cover opens the second opening. The second opening is defined by an end of a top plate in the second direction and an upper end of the front plate, the top plate covering an upper side of a space that accommodates a sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuo Asada, Yoichiro Nishimura, Asami Hashimoto, Gakuro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 11186457
    Abstract: Provided is a sheet conveyance apparatus armored with a housing, the sheet conveyance apparatus includes: a sheet conveyor that feeds a sheet to a downstream side in a direction of conveyance; a conveyance guide that guides the sheet to be conveyed; an ultrasonic sensor that detects the sheet guided by the conveyance guide; and a shield member that is conductive, wherein the ultrasonic sensor includes: a transmitter that transmits an ultrasonic wave having a predetermined frequency; and a receiver that receives the ultrasonic wave, the transmitter and the receiver are arranged along the conveyance guide, and the shield member is disposed between the housing and the receiver in a sheet-face perpendicular direction at an ultrasonic-irradiation position of the sheet being conveyed, the shield member covering an entirety of the receiver in plan view in the sheet-face perpendicular direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA INC.
    Inventors: Masahiro Nonoyama, Masahiro Kamiya, Katsuhide Sakai, Junichi Masuda, Taku Kimura
  • Patent number: 11180336
    Abstract: A medium transporting apparatus includes a transport belt that has a loop shaped, a cling mechanism that causes the medium to cling to the transport belt, a rotation mechanism that transports the medium by rotating the transport belt, a plurality of detection units that detect an transport direction end of the medium, a controller that corrects a skew of the medium, and a stacker on which the medium transported by the transport belt is stacked, in which the plurality of detection units are arranged at positions that are on an upstream side of the transport belt in the first transport direction and that are different from each other in a width direction, and the controller corrects, according to a result of the detection by the detection units, the skew of the medium in a state of being cling to the transport belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Ohashi, Tsuyoshi Furumido, Akinobu Nakahata, Katsuyuki Kondo
  • Patent number: 11174114
    Abstract: In an example, a clamp may include a roller disposed on a swingarm, a slide disposed on the swingarm that may apply friction against the roller in a first position and in a second position, a cam to engage with the slide, and a latch to retain the slide in the second position. The slide may move from the first position to the second position as the slide moves along the cam, and the slide may apply a greater friction against the roller in the second position than in the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Michael D Miles
  • Patent number: 11174119
    Abstract: A sheet sorting apparatus includes a second tray arranged below a first tray detachable from a main body having a first discharge port corresponding to the first tray and a second discharge port corresponding to the second tray, a discharge unit, a tray detecting unit, and a control unit. The discharge unit discharges a sheet toward the first or second discharge port. In a state that the first tray is detached from the main body and the discharge unit discharges sheets from the first discharge port to the second tray and then the first tray is detected as attached to the main body, the control unit selects a discharge destination of a second sheet, subsequent to a first sheet discharged and stacked first after the first tray is attached to the main body, such that the second sheet is stacked on a tray having the first sheet thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Chihara, Genki Takahashi, Kazuhisa Sato
  • Patent number: 11167946
    Abstract: In one example, a sheet media alignment system includes: a guide (12) defining a curved media path (14) that extends from an upstream part of the guide to a downstream part of the guide; a movable blocker (16, 56) to block the curved media path (14) at the downstream part of the guide, the blocker movable into and out of a blocking position in which the blocker is spaced from the downstream part of the guide a first distance; and a driver (24, 58) upstream from the curved media path to drive a media sheet into the guide along the curved media path and into the blocker. The driver is spaced from the upstream part of the guide a second distance greater than the first distance such that a media sheet driven into the blocker will buckle between the driver and the guide before it will buckle between the guide and the blocker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: HP Indigo B.V.
    Inventors: Jonathan Nir, Haim Touitou, David Mazar
  • Patent number: 11167945
    Abstract: For a printing apparatus, a first conveyance speed for a first printing medium is determined according to first print data to be printed on the first printing medium and a second conveyance speed for a second printing medium is determined according to second print data to be printed on the second printing medium that follows the first printing medium along a conveying path. In a case where the second conveyance speed is equal to the first conveyance speed, a conveyance operation of the second printing medium is started before the first printing medium is discharged from the conveying path. In a case where the second conveyance speed is different from the first conveyance speed, the conveyance operation of the second printing medium is started after the first printing medium is discharged from the conveying path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Matsuura, Seiji Ogasawara, Takaaki Ishida, Masakazu Tsukuda, Shuichi Tokuda, Kazuki Matsuo
  • Patent number: 11155425
    Abstract: A sheet feed device includes: a tray provided in a device body in a manner capable of being pulled out and having a loading part that is moved up and down; an extension part attached to the device body to support a portion of a sheet to be fed through the tray; a lifting mechanism that has a lifting/lowering part for moving the loading part up and down and a driving part for lifting and holding the loading part via the lifting/lowering part; and a disconnecting part that disconnects the lifting/lowering part and the driving part when an uncoupling operation is accepted in a state in which the tray is accommodated in the device body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Fujikura, Masashi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 11148899
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a reading device that reads an image on a document that is conveyed through a first conveying path, a switching guide that is supported so as to be able to rotate about a rotation axis, guides the document to a second conveying path by being disposed at a first position, and guides the document to a third conveying path by being disposed at a second position; and a roller that conveys the document to one of the second conveying path and the third conveying path after the reading device reads the document, wherein the second conveying path is arranged above a plane that is formed along the first conveying path, and the rotation axis is arranged below the plane and on an upstream side of a vertical plane that comes in contact with an edge of a downstream side of the roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Shuichi Morikawa
  • Patent number: 11148898
    Abstract: An example stacking system comprises a stacking member movable between a first position in which the stacking member is configured to partially support a first stack of printed substrates, and a second position in which the stacking member is disengaged from the first stack. A receptacle positioned below the stacking member is configured to hold a second stack of printed substrates. A controller is configured to cause the stacking member to move between the first position and the second position when the first stack satisfies a criterion, thereby depositing the first stack into the receptacle on top of the second stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Boaz Eden, Pavel Epshtein
  • Patent number: 11149837
    Abstract: A gear shroud arrangement includes a mounting plate defining an aperture therethrough. A first cylindrical shroud is included having a first end and an opposed second end, wherein the first end of the first shroud is connected to an outer periphery of the mounting plate and is aligned with the aperture. A backing plate is mounted to the second end of the first shroud. A second cylindrical shroud extends from the backing plate in a direction opposite the first shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn C. Lemmers, Jr., Derek R. Hochstetler
  • Patent number: 11142418
    Abstract: An image forming device comprising: a tray in which multiple number of sheets are stored; a feeder that feeds the sheet stored in the tray; and a hardware processor that: measures a carrying speed of the sheet fed by the feeder; determines whether or not the measured carrying speed is affected by the following sheet; corrects the carrying speed upon determining the carrying speed is affected by the following sheet; and detects a wear status on the feeder based on the measured carrying speed or the corrected carrying speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masatoshi Hitaka
  • Patent number: 11143286
    Abstract: A gear shroud arrangement includes a mounting plate defining an aperture therethrough. A first cylindrical shroud is included having a first end and an opposed second end, wherein the first end of the first shroud is connected to an outer periphery of the mounting plate and is aligned with the aperture. A backing plate is mounted to the second end of the first shroud. A second cylindrical shroud extends from the backing plate in a direction opposite the first shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn C. Lemmers, Jr., Derek R. Hochstetler
  • Patent number: 11142415
    Abstract: A sheet size detecting mechanism includes a sheet guiding module, a sensing module and a control unit. The sensing module includes a contact element and a circuit board. The circuit board includes a first conducting part, a second conducting part and plural fixed resistors. The first conducting part includes plural conductive segments. The plural conductive segments are connected with the corresponding fixed resistors, respectively. While the sheet guiding module is moved relative to the sheet input tray, the contact element is moved with the sheet guiding module. When the electric connection between a first conductive segment and the second conducting part is established through the contact element, the corresponding fixed resistor provides a resistance value, and the circuit board issues a sensing signal according to the resistance value. The control unit acquires the size of the paper sheet according to the sensing signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: PRIMAX ELECTRONICS LTD.
    Inventors: Chih-Chia Lee, Chun-Chi Wang, Chao-Min Yang
  • Patent number: 11136209
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a feed module, which is applicable to an electronic device, for example, a multi-function product/printer/peripheral or printer and the like. The feed module comprises a carrier tray, a clamping piece, a first sensor and a control unit. A document is suitable for being placed on the carrier tray, and is driven by the feed module to be transferred into the multi-function product/printer/peripheral or printer. The clamping piece is movably assembled on the carrier tray. The first sensor senses the position of the clamping piece on the carrier tray. The control unit is electrically connected with the first sensor. After the document is placed on the carrier tray and clamped by the clamping piece, the control unit determines the width of the document by the first sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Kinpo Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Kai-Hong Hu, Hung-Huan Sung
  • Patent number: 11130646
    Abstract: A paper feeding parameter management system may include air paper feeding devices and a management device. Each of the air paper feeding devices may be provided with an air paper feeder which may feed paper by blowing air and by absorption to paper and which may be provided with a paper feeding parameter capable of being switched. Each of the air paper feeding devices may be provided with a paper type information obtaining unit and a hardware processor. The paper type information obtaining unit may obtain paper type information of paper to be fed. The hardware processor (i) may adjust the paper feeding parameter of the air paper feeder and (ii) may transmit the paper type information, device configuration information regarding a device configuration of the air paper feeding device, and the adjusted paper feeding parameter to the management device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Eiji Nishikawa, Takahiro Yokoya
  • Patent number: 11124376
    Abstract: A sheet discharging apparatus includes a first detecting portion provided in an apparatus body and configured to detect a move of a movable member in a state where a movable tray is at an upper limit position in a moving direction of the movable tray, wherein a detection result of the first detecting portion changes depending on a position of the movable tray in the moving direction. In addition, a second detecting portion detects the position of the movable tray in the moving direction, and a control portion, in a case where the second detecting portion detects that the movable tray is at the upper limit position, determines whether a sheet is present on the movable tray based on the detection result of the first detecting portion. When the second detecting portion does not detect that the movable tray is at the upper limit position, the control portion determines that a sheet is present on the movable tray regardless of the detection result of the first detecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomooku Koyama
  • Patent number: 11111094
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a sheet loader, a sheet feeder, a misfeeding detector, a memory, and circuitry. The sheet loader is configured to load a sheet of a sheet bundle. The sheet feeder is configured to feed a sheet from the sheet bundle loaded on the sheet loader. The misfeeding detector is configured to detect a misfeeding of the sheet. The memory is configured to store sheet feed information on sheet feeding. The circuitry is configured to change a sheet feed setting based on the sheet feed information stored in the memory and perform a retry sheet feeding at a detection of the misfeeding by the misfeeding detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Takahiro Matsuda
  • Patent number: 11104535
    Abstract: A printer as a medium processing apparatus includes a transport path through which a paper being transported passes, a recording head that records on the paper on the transport path, and a platen that forms at least a portion of the transport path as a path forming member with which the paper comes into contact, in which a surface resistance value of the path forming member changes according to an applied voltage of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shingo Waki, Kazuhiro Hashii, Satoshi Nakata, Fumiaki Akahane