Patents Examined by Thomas Morrison
  • Patent number: 10399804
    Abstract: A paper sheet conveyance device for conveying a paper sheet by an airstream generated in a tubular conveyance path. The paper sheet conveyance device includes a frame member that supports the conveyance path and are provided along an installation route of the conveyance path, pedestal units attached to the frame member and that slide along a longitudinal direction of the frame member, and a plurality of paper sheet capturing devices that send out the paper sheet to be conveyed into the conveyance path and are provided in the conveyance path. Each of the paper sheet capturing devices includes a path part that forms a part of the conveyance path, which is formed by joining a plurality of conveyance ducts and the path parts of the paper sheet capturing devices. The pedestal unit is provided for and holds each of the paper sheet capturing devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignees: ACE DENKEN Co., Ltd., Shinko MechatroTech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Ogura, Hisashi Takahashi, Tomiyasu Sasaki, Yoshiharu Abe, Jun Furudate
  • Patent number: 10399803
    Abstract: A feeding device includes a plurality of suction units, disposed above a conveyed medium stacked on a stacker, to attract the conveyed medium. At least one of the plurality of suction units includes a rotary fan including a board and a plurality of walls extending from the board; and a driver to rotate the rotary fan. The at least one of the plurality of suction units generates a vortex air with a side of the board with the plurality of walls directed to the conveyed medium. The at least one of the plurality of suction units being a suction unit generates a vortex air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kyosuke Nakada, Kiyoshi Hata, Mamoru Yorimoto, Yuichiro Maeyama, Isao Matsushima, Takeshi Watanabe, Kahei Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10399805
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a conveyance portion to convey a sheet in a sheet conveyance direction, and a moving member having a main body portion, a contact portion configured to come into contact with the sheet conveyed by the conveyance portion, and a shaft portion provided on the main body portion, with the moving member configured to be moved due to the contact portion contacting the sheet. A first support portion pivotably supports a first part of the shaft portion such that the moving member is configured to pivot around the shaft, and a second support portion pivotably and slidably supports a second part of the shaft portion such that the second part of the shaft portion swings around the first part. In addition, a biasing member biases the moving member, and a sensor transmits a signal according to a position of the moving member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sachiyori Shiina, Takashi Yano, Kazuhide Okuno, Yohei Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10377601
    Abstract: Provided is a sheet stacking tray such that damage due to external force can be suppressed. The sheet stacking tray (30) is provided with a tray body (40), a first slide member (50), and a second slide member (60). When the first slide member and the second slide member are pulled out, the engagement between a first storage catch portion (44) of the tray body and a first latch portion (52) of the first slide member is released, and then the engagement between a second storage catch portion (54) of the first slide member and a second latch portion (62) of the second slide member is released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tanaka, Motoyuki Fukuda, Tetsuya Ichiguchi
  • Patent number: 10370211
    Abstract: A paper size detection module includes a position sensing assembly and a sliding block assembly. The position sensing assembly is installed on a bottom side of a paper supporting plate. The position sensing assembly includes a carrier plate, a sensing circuit board and plural elastomers. The first ends of the elastomers are connected with the sensing circuit board. The second ends of the elastomers are protruded out of the carrier plate and have corresponding pressed surfaces. The sliding block assembly includes a paper positioning block and at least one roller. The paper positioning block is installed on the paper supporting plate. The roller is connected with the paper positioning block and rolled along the carrier plate. When a position of the pressed surface rolled and pressed by the roller is detected, the sensing circuit board generates a paper size signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: PRIMAX ELECTRONICS LTD
    Inventors: Chao-Min Yang, Chih-Chia Lee
  • Patent number: 10351372
    Abstract: A sheet conveyor includes a tray and a body supporting the tray. The tray is pivotable about a first shaft between a first position at which a free end of the tray is located above its basal end and a second position at which the free end is located farther from the body than at the first position. The tray is slidable between the second position and a third position and pivotable about a second shaft between the third position and a fourth position at which the free end is located farther from the body than at the third position. The first shaft protrudes from one of the tray and the body toward the other. The second shaft protrudes from the other to the one. The other includes a first guide that guides the first shaft. The one includes a second guide that guides the second shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keisuke Wakakusa
  • Patent number: 10328595
    Abstract: A post-processing apparatus includes a storing unit in which plural recording media are stored for performing post-processing, and a pushing member that latches onto and pushes trailing ends of the recording media stored in the storing unit toward an ejection port. When the number of the recording media stacked on the storing unit is small, the pushing member latches onto and pushes the trailing ends of the recording media at a position different from a position at which the pushing member latches onto and pushes the trailing ends of the recording media when the number of the recording media stacked on the storing unit is large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jeman Shin, Dukhyun Ko, Woong Lee
  • Patent number: 10315879
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus of an aspect of the present invention includes stack trays provided with alignment members for applying an alignment process to sheets. At the time of discharging sheets, in a case where a sheet is already stacked on a first stack tray that has been decided on as a discharge destination for a sheet to be discharged, the sheet processing apparatus determines whether or not the width of the sheet to be discharged matches the width of the already-stacked sheet. In a case where the widths of the sheets do not match, a discharge destination for the sheet to be discharged is changed to a second stack tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuzo Harano
  • Patent number: 10315868
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes an apparatus body, a feed member feeding a sheet, and a sheet storage member having first and second sheet storage portions. A sheet shifting portion pushes an upstream end of the sheet in the second sheet storage portion in a first direction so as to shift the sheet in the second sheet storage portion to the first sheet storage portion in the first direction. A driving motor generates a driving force moving the sheet shifting portion, and a moving portion moves the sheet shifting portion from a first position to a second position farther from the first sheet storage portion in a state in which the sheet shifting portion does not receive the driving force from the driving motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohito Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 10308453
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet supporting portion to support a sheet, a feeding portion to feed the sheet, a swing unit to swingably support the feeding portion between a feed position and a separation position, a swing shaft to swingably support the swing unit, an urging portion to urge the swing unit toward the feed position, and a holding portion to hold the swing unit at the separation position against an urging force of the urging portion. The swing unit includes first and second bearing portions to slidingly support the swing shaft, a metal member to hold the first and second bearing portions, and a resin member including a guide surface to guide the sheet fed by the feeding portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kozo Inoue
  • Patent number: 10294060
    Abstract: A discharge extension tray can be extended in a sheet discharge direction from a discharge tray. A front end regulating portion is coupled to the discharge extension tray on a downstream side in the sheet discharge direction of the discharge extension tray such that the front and regulating portion is turnable with respect to the discharge extension tray. A sheet guide portion guides a front end portion of the sheet to a direction separating from a turning center of the front end regulating portion when a sheet having a length longer than a predetermined size is discharged in a state where the discharge extension tray is not extended from the discharge tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshinori Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10294051
    Abstract: A device for separating cards in single sheet includes: a support frame, and a driving shaft movably mounted on the support frame, a separating wheel being provided on the driving shaft. The driving shaft is movable freely up and down on the support frame, and an elastic component is provided between the driving shaft and the support frame. The elastic component has one end fixed to the support frame, and another end mounted on the driving shaft, which allows the separating wheel to always keep a downward pressure to cards under the action of an elastic force. The elastic component in contact with the driving shaft provides downward pressure to the driving shaft, thus the separating wheel always keeps downward pressure to the cards under the action of the elastic force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: GRG BANKING EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Weiquan Huang, Xuewei Xie, Zeyan Guan, Yun Lei
  • Patent number: 10280018
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet regulation member, a lock portion, and a damper portion. The sheet regulation member is changeable between a regulation posture to regulate a sheet supported on a supporting portion not to enter a separation nip portion and a retracted posture to allow the sheet to enter the separation nip portion. The lock portion locks the sheet regulation member in the regulation posture. In a case where external force equal to or more than a predetermined amount is applied to the sheet regulation member toward the downstream in the sheet feeding direction with the sheet regulation member is locked by the lock portion in the regulation posture, the damper portion allows displacement of the sheet regulation member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takashi Kondo
  • Patent number: 10267628
    Abstract: One object is to detect a sheet with high precision by using ultrasonic waves. A sheet processing apparatus detects a paper sheet based on a change in ultrasonic waves. The sheet processing apparatus includes a support member that supports a sheet. A through part is formed in the support member. The sheet processing apparatus further includes a transmitting unit that transmits ultrasonic waves from a transmitting surface; a reflecting unit that reflects the ultrasonic waves, which were transmitted from the transmitting unit and passed through the through part; and a receiving unit that receives on a receiving surface the ultrasonic waves reflected by the reflecting unit. The receiving surface faces downward, and the transmitting surface is parallel to a vertical direction or faces downward, or the transmitting surface faces downward, and the receiving surface is parallel to a vertical direction or faces downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: GLORY LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Maeda, Akira Hibino
  • Patent number: 10241458
    Abstract: A sheet guide of an image forming apparatus includes a first upstream guide member and a first downstream guide member. The first upstream guide member includes an upstream front guide surface and an upstream rear guide surface. The first downstream guide member includes a downstream front guide surface and a downstream rear guide surface. The downstream front guide surface intersects with an imaginary plane formed by extending, toward a downstream side in a conveyance direction of a sheet, the upstream rear guide surface. The upstream front guide surface intersects with an imaginary plane that is formed by extending, toward an upstream side in the conveyance direction, the downstream rear guide surface. When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the upstream rear guide surface, an edge portion of the first upstream guide member on the downstream side is inclined with respect to a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takeshi Watanabe, Arata Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10221031
    Abstract: A sheet stacking apparatus, including: a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet; a stacking unit on which a sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit is stacked, the stacking unit inclined downward in a conveyance direction in which the conveyance unit conveys a sheet and including a first region and a second region located downstream of the first region in the conveyance direction; a guide portion configured to guide a sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit over a sheet placed on the second region; and a pressing portion configured to press a sheet placed on the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Nisca Inc.
    Inventors: Kazunori Endo, Kenichi Matsuno, Ikuhiro Obata, Yuji Kunugi, Akira Takei
  • Patent number: 10214377
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a processing tray, a conveyance roller, an extrusion member, a pinch roller and a controller. The conveyance roller is arranged at a downstream side of the processing tray in a sheet conveyance direction, and conveys the sheet. The extrusion member extrudes an end of an upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet placed on the processing tray to the downstream side. The pinch roller moves to a rotation position at the time of conveying the sheet by the conveyance roller to sandwich the sheet with the conveyance roller. The controller controls the pinch roller and the conveyance roller to convey the sheet using the pinch roller and the conveyance roller when the sheet placed on the processing tray is conveyed to the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoichi Dobashi, Yoshihisa Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10196222
    Abstract: A document conveying apparatus includes a light source, a disk including a plurality of slits spaced apart with a predetermined interval in a rotation direction of the disk, which rotates in the rotation direction with a rotation speed as a document is conveyed, a light reception element provided at a position facing the light source with the disk interposed therebetween, a first signal generator for generating a first signal in accordance with light received by the light reception element, a second signal generator for generating a second signal obtained by removing, from the first signal, a noise component according to the rotation speed of the disk, and a controller for determining whether a document is conveyed by comparing the second signal with a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 10196221
    Abstract: A sheet conveyer, including a tray, a pickup roller, a separator roller, a separator pad, a driving source, a roller holder with an arm, an engagement member engageable with the arm, a load applier lever, and a first urging member coupled with the load applier lever, is provided. The load applier lever is movable between a first position, wherein the load applier lever supports the first end of the first urging member at a position where the first urging member causes the engagement member to be urged against the arm and to apply a load that acts in a direction to cause the pickup roller to be pressed against the sheets to the arm; and a second position, wherein the load applier lever supports the first end of the first urging member at a position where the first urging member is in the natural length thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Okamoto
  • Patent number: 10192385
    Abstract: To provide a banknote processing apparatus for reducing occurrence of part damage involved by movement of a unit. Provided is a banknote processing apparatus including: a first unit (10); a second unit (30); and a pair of transfer guides (20) configured to form a transfer conveyance path on which a banknote is conveyed between the first unit (10) and the second unit (30). The transfer conveyance path is formed between the pair of transfer guides (20). The transfer guide (20) has a first edge (26) at an opposite side to the transfer conveyance path and at the first unit (10) side, the first edge (26) coming closer to the transfer conveyance path as the first edge (26) nears an end at the first unit (10) side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takamoto Yokote