Patents Examined by Robert B Beatty
  • Patent number: 11841675
    Abstract: Disclosed is a cartridge attachable to an image forming apparatus body, the cartridge including: a memory member storing information relating to the cartridge; and a supporting body having a memory mounting portion on which the memory member is mounted, the memory member having a first surface, a second surface, and a lateral surface, the first surface is provided with a contact portion connected to a body electrode portion of the body of the image forming apparatus when the cartridge is installed in the body of the image forming apparatus, the memory mounting portion has a first opposing portion opposing the second surface and a second opposing portion opposing the lateral surface when the memory member is mounted, the memory member is mounted by adhesive between the second surface and the first opposing portion and between the lateral surface and the second opposing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yu Fukasawa, Yukio Kubo, Yosuke Kashiide
  • Patent number: 11841671
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an apparatus body, an exterior cover configured to pivot around a pivot shaft extending in a first direction, and extend in the first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, a first engagement portion including a first engagement surface, and a second engagement portion, the second engagement portion including a facing surface facing the first engagement surface. When viewed in a third direction orthogonal to an exterior surface of the exterior cover, the first engagement surface and the facing surface at least partially overlap each other. The facing surface includes a second engagement surface and an inclined surface. When viewed in the third direction, a ridgeline formed by the second engagement surface and the inclined surface extends further away from the pivot shaft in the second direction as the ridgeline extends more downstream in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Atsuyuki Yuzawa
  • Patent number: 11835902
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a conveyance unit, a first reading unit, a first guide portion, a second reading unit, and a second guide portion. The second reading unit includes a rectangular transparent member, an optical reading unit, a housing, a first and a second contact portions, a first and a second pressing members, and a protruding portion. The first and the second contact portions are protruding from a facing surface of the housing. The protruding portion, when viewed from an upstream side in a conveyance direction of a recording material passing through a conveyance path between the second reading unit and the second guide portion, is disposed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion and protruding from the facing surface of the housing, a protruding amount of the protruding portion being smaller than protruding amounts of the first and the second contact portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ryo Aihara
  • Patent number: 11835904
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing cartridge, a main memory and a controller. The controller is configured to perform determining whether the developing cartridge is reached a lifetime on a basis of: at least one of s developing maximum printable number of sheets which corresponds to developing identification information, a maximum developing roller rotation number which corresponds to the developing identification information, and a maximum dot count which corresponds to the developing identification information; and at least one of a developing cumulative number of printed sheets, a cumulative developing roller rotation number and a cumulative dot count.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tadao Kyotani
  • Patent number: 11835892
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: an image forming unit that forms a toner image on a medium; a heating unit that is provided on a downstream side in a transport path from the image forming unit and that is configured to heat a medium being transported in a non-contact manner; a fixing unit that is provided on a downstream side in the transport path from the heating unit and fixes the toner image on the medium; a shielding unit to which force is applied so as to be inform a closed state in which the heating unit is shielded; and an open state forming unit configured to receive power supply to drive the shielding unit so as to form an open state in which the heating unit is opened, and maintain the open state while the power is being supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP.
    Inventors: Hideki Kuge, Norio Ogawahara, Kouichi Kimura, Mitsutoshi Hongo
  • Patent number: 11829101
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first air suction port sucking an air containing ozone, a second air suction port sucking an air containing the scattered toner, and a duct unit partitioned into a first duct passing through the air containing ozone and a second duct passing through the air containing toner. The duct includes a first fan generating a first air flow inside the first duct to suck the air from the first air suction port and a second fan generating a second air flow inside the second duct to suck the air from the second air suction port. An ozone filter is detachably provided to both the first and second ducts, disposed straddling the first and second ducts, and filters the ozone contained in the first and second air flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Fujita, Hideto Abe
  • Patent number: 11829095
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, to which a supply container storing a developer is detachably attachable and which forms an image on a recording material, includes a photosensitive member that rotates, an optical box, a developer bearing member, and a developer container including a supply port for receiving the developer to be supplied from the supply container. The optical box irradiates the photosensitive member with light and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member. The developer bearing member bears the developer and develops the electrostatic latent image by supplying the developer to the photosensitive member. The developer container stores the developer to be borne by the developer bearing member. When viewed in a rotation axial direction of the photosensitive member, a region where the optical box is located and at least a part of a region where the supply port is located overlap each other in a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yu Shuhama
  • Patent number: 11822285
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second image forming units, and first and second fans. The first and second image forming units are positioned on one and the other endmoset sides in an arrangement direction of the plurality of image forming units, respectively. The first and second fans are provided closer on one and the other endmoset side than the first and second image forming units, respectively. A first suction port for supplying outside air to the first fan is positioned closer to the first image forming unit than to the second image forming unit. A second suction port is positioned closer to the second image forming unit than to the first image forming unit. The first fan is positioned closer to the first image forming unit than to the second image forming unit, and the second fan is positioned closer to the second image forming unit than to the first image forming unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideto Abe
  • Patent number: 11822284
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit, a second image forming unit, and an intake unit. The intake unit includes an intake duct provided at one side relative to the first and the second image forming units in an arrangement direction of the plurality of image forming units and configured to take in air outside the image forming apparatus from an intake port, a first fan configured to take in air from a first communication port, and a second fan configured to take in air from a second communication port. The intake unit branches air taken in from the intake duct to the air taken in from the first communication port by the first fan and the air taken in from the second communication port by the second fan, and blows the air to each of the first image forming unit and the second image forming unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuki Tashiro
  • Patent number: 11815840
    Abstract: A printer includes a case including an input port for rolled paper, a cover provided to be rotatable between a closed position of the input port and an open position of the input port, a holding portion that holds the rolled paper, a biasing member that biases the holding portion in a first direction, a stopper mechanism that stops rotation of the holding portion in the first direction, and a linkage mechanism that rotates the holding portion in conjunction with the rotation of the cover. When the cover is in the closed position, the holding portion rotates in the first direction in accordance with an outer diameter of the rolled paper by a biasing force of the biasing member. When the cover rotates from the closed position to the open position, the holding portion rotates together with the cover against the biasing force of the biasing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignees: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., Citizen Systems Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Daimon, Takeo Komiyama, Hiroyuki Yasuda, Katsunori Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11815830
    Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a pump portion that is variable in volume, a feeding path portion including a connection opening connected to the pump portion at a first end and including a discharge opening at a second end, and a toner accommodating portion connected to an intermediate portion between the first end of the feeding path portion and the second end of the feeding path portion. A volume change amount of the pump portion is greater than a total volume from the connection opening to the discharge opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroomi Matsuzaki, Hiroki Ogino, Tetsuo Uesugi
  • Patent number: 11809099
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive drums, an intermediate transfer belt, a cleaning member to contact an inner surface of the intermediate transfer belt to remove impurities from the intermediate transfer belt, a storage member including a storage to accommodate the impurities removed by the cleaning member, and a shutter movable to a first location at which the storage is opened and a closing location at which the storage is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Hogun You, Wonkook Kim
  • Patent number: 11809102
    Abstract: A recording material cooling device includes a first unit provided with a first endless belt and a cooling member, a second unit provided with a second endless belt and a supporting member but not provided with a cooling member, a holding member and a fixing member. The holding member is fixed to a supporting frame and rotatably holds the supporting member in order to be rotated by a user. The fixing member fixes the supporting member to the holding member at any rotating position by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shingo Katano, Kenichi Tanaka, Keita Kondo
  • Patent number: 11809117
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit, a fixing unit, a first conveyance unit which includes a first conveyance rotator, a first suction fan, and a first suction port, a second conveyance unit which includes a second conveyance rotator, a second suction fan, and a second suction port, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to execute a first mode of changing a rotational speed of the second suction fan from a first rotational speed to a second rotational speed lower than the first rotational speed after a leading edge of the sheet passes through the fixing unit in a case where a sheet having a length longer than a length from the fixing unit to a downstream end of the first suction port in the sheet conveyance direction is conveyed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Nagasaki
  • Patent number: 11803137
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a first roller that is arranged in a region where an image formed on a recording medium is fixed to the recording medium and that heats the recording medium, a second roller that is arranged to face the first roller in the region and pressurizes the recording medium toward the first roller, a fan that sends air to the second roller, and a processor configured to control the fan, in which the second roller has a shape in which a diameter of an end portion in a longitudinal axis direction is larger than a diameter of a central portion in the longitudinal axis direction, the first roller and the second roller fix the image to the recording medium in the region, and the processor is configured to change a rotation speed of the fan between the central portion and the end portion of the second roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Makoto Hasegawa, Yasutaka Naito
  • Patent number: 11796947
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developer bearing member, a discharge unit, a stacking tray including a stacking surface on which the recording material is stacked, a replenishment port, a cover capable of moving between a closed position where the cover covers the replenishment port and constitutes at least part of the stacking surface and an open position where the cover exposes the replenishment port, and an information display unit for displaying information about a procedure for replenishing the developing container with the developer from the replenishment container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Oba, Kohei Koguchi, Isao Koishi
  • Patent number: 11789379
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner cartridge including a toner container with a supplying outlet and an engaged portion, and a shutter movable between an open position and a closed position, and an apparatus main body to and from which the toner cartridge is mounted and detached, the apparatus main body including a toner accommodation unit, a guide portion for guiding the toner cartridge, a pressing member pressing the toner cartridge in the detaching direction, an engaging member movable between an engaging position and an engagement release position, the engaging member allowing movement of the toner cartridge from the first position toward the second position in a case where the engaging member is at the engagement release position, and a damping force applying mechanism applying damping force to the toner cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaki Iwase
  • Patent number: 11789399
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device and a drive transmission mechanism. The fixing device fixes an image on a sheet by application of heat and pressure. The drive transmission mechanism changes a conveying speed of the sheet in the fixing device between an image forming mode and a lamination mode. The conveying speed of the sheet in the fixing device in the lamination mode is lower than the conveying speed of the sheet in the fixing device in the image forming mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takamasa Hase
  • Patent number: 11789382
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main casing; a toner cartridge including a toner casing having a toner outlet for discharging toner in the toner cartridge and a toner shutter for opening and closing the toner outlet; a drum cartridge including a photosensitive drum and a developing unit including a developing casing having a toner inlet for receiving the toner from the toner cartridge, a developing shutter for opening and closing the toner inlet, and a cushion member positioned between the developing casing and the developing shutter. When the developing casing is moved relative to the photosensitive drum while the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are attached to the main casing, the developing shutter opens the toner inlet, and the toner shutter opens the toner outlet, the cushion member allows movement of the developing casing relative to the developing shutter while the developing shutter engages with the toner cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shougo Sato
  • Patent number: 11782370
    Abstract: A heating apparatus includes a cylindrical film and a pressing element that rotates with the cylindrical film and forms a nip with the cylindrical film. A medium is conveyed through the nip from an upstream side to a downstream side. The heating apparatus further includes a heater arranged inside the cylindrical film and on which a heating element is disposed. An upstream end of the heater is located downstream of an upstream end of the nip, and a downstream end of the heater is located downstream of a downstream end of the nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Kikuchi