Patents Examined by Sevan A Aydin
  • Patent number: 11579566
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a duct that recovers scattered toner and ozone generated in an image former, wherein the duct is partitioned into two parts, one of the partitioned parts is a scattered toner recovery path that recovers the scattered toner, and the other of the partitioned parts is an ozone recovery path that recovers the ozone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Eriko Kozaki
  • Patent number: 11579564
    Abstract: A cartridge includes a frame and a photosensitive drum rotatably supported by the frame. An opening is provided in the cartridge, with toner removed from the photosensitive drum being discharged to outside of the cartridge through the opening. A discharging passageway is provided in fluid communication with the opening and through which toner can move to the opening. A coupling member is provided inside the discharging passageway, with the coupling member including a projection at an end of the coupling member, and the coupling member being movable along the discharging passageway between a first position and a second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akinobu Hirayama, Takahito Ueno, Toshiaki Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 11556077
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes an image-bearing member, an exposure device, an electro-conductive member, a bias application unit and a development device having a development roller and a toner supply roller. The bias application unit configured to apply biases to the toner supply roller, the development roller, and the electro-conductive member during image formation so that a first potential difference between the toner supply roller and the development roller and a second potential difference between the electro-conductive member and the development roller cause normally charged toner to travel respectively from the toner supply roller and the electro-conductive member to the development roller, and a third potential difference between the electro-conductive member and the toner supply roller causes normally charged toner to travel from the electro-conductive member to the toner supply roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Sakamaki, Hideki Fujita, Osamu Ariizumi, Masashi Wakisaka, Chihiro Tanaka, Masashi Abe
  • Patent number: 11550248
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device including a heating roller configured to heat a sheet when the heating roller rotates, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the heating roller; and a controller configured to obtain a temperature detected by the temperature sensor at intervals of a predetermined sampling time, calculate, at the intervals of the predetermined sampling time, a temperature-decrease-amount of the detected temperature over a unit time that is longer than the predetermined sampling time, and stop rotation of the heating roller when the calculated temperature-decrease-amount is greater than a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunsuke Ueki, Tomonori Watanabe, Mingguang Zhang, Yusuke Mizuno, Shintaro Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 11550245
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet storage, a sheet feed roller, an image forming device, a fixing device, a motor, a sensor, and a controller having a processor. The sheet storage is configured to store a sheet. The sheet feed roller is configured to feed the sheet stored in the sheet storage into the conveyance path. The image forming device is configured to form an image on the sheet. The fixing device includes a fixing belt and a pressure roller abutting on an outside of the fixing belt, and is configured to fix the image formed on the sheet. The motor is configured to drive and rotate the fixing belt by rotating the pressure roller. The sensor is configured to measure the drive current in the motor. The processor is configured to control a conveyance speed of the sheet based on the measured drive current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoshi Himeno
  • Patent number: 11550254
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member; a charging member, an exposure member, a developing member, a transfer member, a moving member, a motor, a first drive transmitting portion, and a second drive transmitting portion. A rotation amount of the motor when the photosensitive member rotates from an exposure position to a transfer position during image formation is 2?n+? [rad] where n is a natural number, and ? is an increased rotation amount [rad] of the motor. The following relationship is satisfied: 0<?<??? where ? is an angle [rad] which is formed by a line connecting rotation centers of a first gear of the motor and a second gear of the first driving transmitting portion and a line connecting rotation centers of the first gear of the motor and a third gear of the second driving transmitting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yusuke Niikawa
  • Patent number: 11550241
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer cylinder that is supported on an image forming apparatus body and rotates; a rotating member that is coaxial with the transfer cylinder and rotates integrally with the transfer cylinder; a circulating member that is provided with a holding part that holds a front end portion of a recording medium, is suspended around the rotating member, and transports the recording medium by circulating as the rotating member rotates; a transfer unit that is supported on the image forming apparatus body and has a transfer belt that transfers an image on a recording medium transported by the circulating member by sandwiching the recording medium together with the transfer cylinder at a nip position; a first image forming part that is supported on the image forming apparatus body and forms the image on the transfer belt; and a second image forming part that is supported on the image forming apparatus body at a position lower than the first image forming part and forms the image o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Tomoaki Yoshioka, Mitsuaki Kuroda
  • Patent number: 11537062
    Abstract: A developing cartridge includes: a casing, a developing roller, a first agitator, a supply roller, and a second agitator. The casing is configured to accommodate toner. The developing roller is rotatable about a developing roller rotation axis extending in a first direction. The first agitator is configured to agitate the toner. The first agitator is rotatable about a first agitator rotation axis extending in the first direction. The supply roller is positioned between the first agitator and the developing roller. The supply roller is rotatable about a supply roller rotation axis extending in the first direction. The second agitator is positioned between the supply roller and the first agitator. The second agitator is rotatable about a second agitator rotation axis extending in the first direction. A rotation locus of the second agitator is positioned outside of a rotation locus of the first agitator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuaki Ooka, Junichi Hashimoto, Shota Iriyama, Keigo Nakajima, Kengo Yada
  • Patent number: 11531292
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, first and second rotating members, and a discharge unit to discharge a recording material to an outside. The fixing unit fixes an image from the image forming unit onto the recording material. The first rotating member comes into contact with and guides the image bearing recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The second rotating member comes into contact with the image bearing recording material more on a downstream side than the first rotating member in a conveyance direction of the recording material, guides the recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The first rotating member does not perform swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material, and the second rotating member performs swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ai Suzuki, Osamu Sasaoka, Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11526125
    Abstract: A cartridge includes a frame, a first side member, and a first fixing member. The frame includes a first end in a first direction, a first positioning portion disposed on the first end, and a first rotation stopping portion disposed on the first end. The first side member is attached to the first end and includes a first to-be-positioned portion to be engaged with the first positioning portion and a first rotation to-be-stopped portion to be engaged with the first rotation stopping portion. The first fixing member is fastened to the first positioning portion or the first rotation stopping portion. At least either one of (i) the first to-be-positioned portion and the first positioning portion and (ii) the first rotation to-be-stopped portion and the first rotation stopping portion are adhesively bonded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yu Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 11526113
    Abstract: A conveyance roller is configured to convey a sheet having passed through a fixing device toward a photosensitive drum. A gear train is switchable between a transmission state in which the gear train transmits power from a motor to the conveyance roller and a transmission release state in which the gear train does not transmit the power from the motor to the conveyance roller. A movement member is movable between a first position at which the movement member causes the gear train to be in the transmission state and a second position at which the movement member causes the gear train to be in the transmission release state. A cam is configured to cause a development roller to move between a contact position and a separation position. The movement member is movable between the first position and the second position in conjunction with movement of the cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yohei Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 11520271
    Abstract: A gloss treatment device includes an endless belt to convey a print medium in a conveyance direction, a heating roller to heat the print medium, a pressing roller to press the print medium and the endless belt against the heating roller at a nip position, and a charging device located upstream the nip position in the conveyance direction, to charge the print medium with an electrostatic charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Satoru Furuya, Keiji Komoto, Yasuo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11520261
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a pressurizing member, a charging portion, and a control portion. The fixing member rotates while being heated. The pressurizing member forms a nip portion between itself and a surface of the fixing member in such a way as to hold a sheet therebetween and conveys the sheet by rotating together with the fixing member, wherein an image of toner has been formed on the sheet. The charging portion electrically charges the surface of the fixing member to a polarity that is same as a charging polarity of the toner by supplying a charging current to a pair of electrodes that is disposed to face the surface of the fixing member. The control portion acquires sheet information that includes one or more of length information, width information, and thickness information of the sheet and adjusts the charging current based on the sheet information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Einosuke Kikuchi, Kuniaki Nakano
  • Patent number: 11506996
    Abstract: A conveyance mechanism which includes a rotation shaft extending in a direction along a first direction connecting first and second discharge ports that is rotatable with a rotation axis extending in the first direction. Wherein, a first rotation conveyance unit is disposed on the rotation shaft, and is rotatable together with the rotation shaft, conveys developer toward the first discharge port, and a second rotation conveyance unit is disposed on the rotation shaft, and is rotatable together with the rotation shaft, conveys developer toward the second discharge port. The second rotation conveyance unit is configured to provide a larger amount of conveyance than the first rotation conveyance unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takarada, Masaaki Sato, Koji Wada, Tsuyoshi Ogawa
  • Patent number: 11503183
    Abstract: Provided is a printing apparatus including a cassette configured to be capable of managing a stored paper-sheet by using paper-sheet size information and paper-sheet attribute data, in which an adjustment value of a print position is registered to copied paper-sheet attribute data if an event in which the adjustment value is registered to paper-sheet attribute data in which the paper-sheet size information is not set occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Kasuya, Yoshitake Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11500321
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive drum, a motor, and a drum gear train configured to transmit a driving force from the motor to the photosensitive drum. The drum gear train includes a first gear, a second gear and a first clutch. The first gear is rotatable about a first axis upon receipt of the driving force. The second gear is rotatable about the first axis and configured to receive the driving force from the first gear and to transmit the driving force to the photosensitive drum. The first clutch is switchable between a first transmission state where the driving force is transmitted from the first gear to the second gear and a first transmission cutoff state where the transmission of the driving force from the first gear to the second gear is cut off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazutoshi Nakamura, Tomitake Aratachi, Sota Hirano, Kazuma Hinoue, Shintaro Suzuki, Ayaka Komori, Marika Ozaki
  • Patent number: 11493856
    Abstract: A developing device includes a regulating member fixed to a frame at one end thereof and including a contact portion which contacts a developer carrying member. The contact portion includes a first region positioned upstream of a reference position and a second region positioned downstream of the reference position in a rotational direction of the developer carrying member. A length of the second region is longer than a length of the first region in a position corresponding to a contact nip with respect to a direction from a fixed end of the regulating member toward the other end as a free end of the regulating member, and the contact portion has a surface roughness smaller in the first region than in the second region, with the surface roughness in the second region being 20% or less of an average particle size of toner particles contained in a developer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Hiramatsu, Takahiro Kawamoto, Shoko Funaki
  • Patent number: 11487228
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to execute a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is a mode in which a toner image is formed on a sheet at a time when a sheet passes through an image formation position for a first time after detecting a property of the sheet by a detection unit. Wherein the second mode is a mode in which a toner image is not formed on a sheet at the time when the sheet passes through the image formation position for the first time after detecting the property of the sheet by the detection unit and is formed on the sheet at a time when the sheet is conveyed via the second conveyance path and passes through the image formation position for a second time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Munehito Kurata, Keisuke Mochizuki, Tetsuichiro Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 11487229
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a guide member including a guide surface that guides a sheet to a delivery rotating body, an opposing member opposed to the other face of the sheet, on an opposite side of the guide surface of the guide member, and defining an air passage between the opposing member and the guide member, such that one end portion is located on a side of the outer space, and the other end portion, on an opposite side of the outer space, communicates with a predesignated space on a side of the fixing device in an apparatus main body, and a dam member located downstream of the delivery rotating body in a sheet transport direction, and configured to dam air to be discharged with the sheet by the delivery rotating body, thereby guiding the air to the one end portion of the air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Kanematsu, Taisei Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 11480902
    Abstract: A sheet heating device includes: a heat roller including a lamp heater; a fixing frame supporting end parts of the heat roller and the lamp heater; and a heat-insulating cover member provided outside of the fixing frame. The fixing frame is disposed so as to cover the space above the heat roller. A plurality of heat retention spaces is provided inside of the cover member so as to be partitioned from one another and to be opened toward the fixing frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Minoru Tomiyori