Patents Examined by Thomas Morrison
  • Patent number: 11274008
    Abstract: Post-processing apparatus for performing given process subsequently to image forming process by image forming apparatus is disclosed. Post-processing apparatus includes: first ejector which ejects sheet; first tray which temporarily holds sheet; second tray situated downstream of first tray in ejection direction of sheet; a tray driver which moves second tray downwardly from first height position; blower which forms airstream between second tray and lower surface of sheet; and controller which controls blower and tray driver. Controller includes: blower controller which causes blower to blow air over time period in synchronization with first time period from start to end of sheet ejection by first ejector; and tray controller which causes tray driver to move second tray downwardly from first height position after first time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Inventors: Rina Okada, Yasunori Ueno, Terumitsu Noso
  • Patent number: 11274006
    Abstract: In one example, a media support includes a continuous loop belt and multiple suction cups arranged along the outer perimeter of the belt. Each suction cup has a port aligned with a hole in the belt so that air may be evacuated from the suction cup when connected to a vacuum source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: HP SCITEX LTD.
    Inventors: Alex Veis, Yuval Dim
  • Patent number: 11267667
    Abstract: In one example, a media feed system includes a pick arm that is adjustable at a pivot and operable to maintain a distance between a pick roller and a separation wall as the pick arm changes orientation. In another example, a media feed system may include a pick arm, a pick roller coupled to the pick arm, a pivot coupled to the pick arm, and a plate coupled to the pivot via a pin and slot interface. In that example, a slot of the pin and slot interface is to adjust position of the pivot and adjust orientation of the pick arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Wesley R Schalk, Al Olson
  • Patent number: 11235373
    Abstract: A detaching method of sheets from a stack of sheets from a stack of sheets and a relative detaching apparatus is disclosed, including at least a gripping head of a handling device of sheets and a nozzle assembly apt to eject an air flow to a lateral edge of a stack of sheets, furthermore including: a storage assembly of pressurised air provided at least with a compressed-air tank equipped with a pressure multiplier and a relative first pressure adjuster; and a high-pressure pipe between the nozzle assembly and the storage assembly intercepted by a fast-opening electrovalve. The nozzle assembly is provided with a nozzle, supplied through the electrovalve, configured as a convergent/divergent spout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: ASTES4 SA
    Inventor: Roberto Zaffaroni
  • Patent number: 11214457
    Abstract: In one example, a media puller device can include a snowplow device coupled to a first end of a hinge, a leading end of the media puller device coupled to a second end of the hinge, and a tension device coupled between the snowplow device and the media puller device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert Yraceburu, Arturo Ayala, Elliott Downing, Matthew Douglas Reier, Gene Jones
  • Patent number: 11214451
    Abstract: A sheet container includes a sheet loader, a pair of sheet regulators, a pressing member, and a pressing force adjusting device. The sheet loader is movable in a vertical direction and configured to load a sheet. The pair of sheet regulators is configured to regulate a position in a width direction of the sheet loaded on the sheet loader. The pressing member is disposed on at least one of the pair of sheet regulators and configured to press a lateral end face of the sheet, toward another one of the pair of sheet regulators in the width direction of the sheet. The pressing force adjusting device is configured to adjust pressing force generated by the pressing member to the sheet while maintaining a state in which the pressing member applies the pressing force to the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Ohishi, Ippei Kimura
  • Patent number: 11203499
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus comprises a roller disposed in a sheet conveyance path; a sheet sensor disposed in the sheet conveyance path and configured to detect conveyance of sheets and generate sensor information indicative of detection; and a controller. The controller is configured to, for each sheet of a predetermined number of sheets of a plurality of sheets conveyed by the roller, use the sensor information to generate an individual sheet-conveyance dataset indicating a sheet passage interval; and store the individual sheet-conveyance dataset in data storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Yuka Matsukawa
  • Patent number: 11198578
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a stacking portion, a feeding portion, a contact and separation mechanism, a separation conveying portion, a detecting portion, a size acquiring portion, and a controller. In a first mode, in a case that the detecting portion detects passing of a trailing end of the current sheet after the separating operation, the controller causes the contact and separation mechanism to start a contact operation in which the feeding portion is contacted to a sheet stacked on the stacking portion in order to feed a subsequent sheet. In a second mode, before the detecting portion detects passing of a trailing end of the current sheet after the separating operation, the controller causes the contact and separation mechanism to start, on the basis of a distance in which the current sheet is fed by the separation conveying portion, the contact operation to feed the subsequent sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takayuki Suga
  • Patent number: 11192741
    Abstract: An image forming system displays warning information representing a state of no printing sheet detected in a first sheet holding unit, and displays information representing a normal state of no sheet printing sheet detected in the second sheet holding unit. In a case where a transition occurs from a state where at least one printing sheet is in the second sheet holding unit to a state where there are no sheets in the second sheet holding unit while the image forming apparatus performs printing using the printing sheets held in the second sheet holding unit, displaying warning information representing a state of no printing sheet in the second sheet holding unit and changes to information representing a normal state in the second sheet holding unit if a predetermined period has passed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuzo Harano, Hideaki Ooba, Aya Ito, Junichi Yamakawa, Yusuke Kimura, Nobuhiro Kawamura
  • Patent number: 11192742
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a first conveyor, a second conveyor provided downstream of the first conveyor, a first motor configured to drive the first conveyor, a second motor configured to drive the second conveyor, a speed determining unit configured to determine a rotation speed of a rotor of the second motor, a command determining unit configured to determine a command speed representing a target speed of the rotor of the second motor, and a controller configured to control a drive current flowing through a winding of the second motor so that a deviation between the command speed determined by the command determining unit and the rotation speed determined by the speed determining unit is decreased. The command determining unit determines the command speed based on a value corresponding to a rotation speed of a rotor of the first motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Eikou Mori
  • Patent number: 11178301
    Abstract: In a medium conveying device, a projector projects light, a projection light amount of the light changes, at every fixed time, to a first projection light amount and a second projection light amount less than the first projection light amount, a receiver receives the light projected from the projector, a processor determines, at fixed sampling timings, whether a reception light amount of the receiver is at a first reception light level or a second reception light level smaller than the first reception light level, determines, when the reception light amount alternately changes to the first reception light level and the second reception light level, that a medium is not present on a conveying path, and determines, when the reception light amount is fixed to either the first reception light level or the second reception light level, that the medium is present on the conveying path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Kenichi Tamura
  • Patent number: 11174112
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a stacking member, a feeding unit, and a detachable separation unit. The feeding unit feeds sheets stacked from the stacking member. The separation unit separates the fed sheets one by one. The separation unit includes a rotating member to abut and separate from the feeding unit and to rotate, a biasing member to bias the rotating member toward the feeding unit, and an engaged member to be engaged with an engagement member included in the sheet feeding device. The engagement member can move to a first position where the engagement member is engaged with the engaged member, and a second position away from the engaged member. Where the engagement member moves from the first to the second position when the separation unit is attached to the sheet feeding device, the separation unit moves in a detachment direction using the biasing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Satoshi Tsuda
  • Patent number: 11167943
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus includes a supporting portion, a regulating unit supported to be movable in a first direction, a feed unit, a variable resistor including a rotary member configured to be rotated by a movement of the regulating unit in the first direction, and having a resistance value changing according to a rotational phase of the rotary member, an interlocking portion configured to rotate the rotary member in conjunction with the regulating unit, and a substrate including a pattern surface to which the variable resistor is connected. An axial center line of the rotary member extends in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a direction of gravitational force. The substrate is disposed such that the pattern surface extends in parallel with the first direction and the direction of gravitational force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuji Mitsui
  • Patent number: 11161705
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a fabric separator comprising a body, a cylinder, a gas intake, a sensor, and a clamp. In some embodiments, the cylinder has an outer surface, is coupled with the body, and has a cylinder rotatable about an axis. The gas intake may flow gas in a rotational direction of the cylinder such that a low pressure zone is created on at least a portion of the outer surface of the cylinder. The sensor may be coupled with the body. The clamp may be in communication with the sensor and coupled with the body. The clamp having an engaged mode where the clamp is pressed against a portion of the cylinder and a disengaged where the clamp is not pressed against a portion of the cylinder, the clamp transitions from the engaged mode to the disengaged mode based on a signal from the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: The North Face Apparel Corp.
    Inventors: Dewayne Steward, Demitri Balabanov
  • Patent number: 11162779
    Abstract: The detection unit includes a first contact member, which comes into contact with a first surface of a recording material and a second contact member, which comes into contact with a second surface of the recording material, the first contact member and the second contact member being disposed so as to oppose each other thus being capable of nipping the recording material, and the first contact member and the second contact member are movable in a direction in which the first contact member and the second contact member nip the recording material, and is rotatable about an axis line extending in a predetermined direction, the predetermined direction being orthogonal to the direction in which the first contact member and the second contact member are movable and being orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuji Mitsui
  • Patent number: 11142417
    Abstract: A sheet feeder apparatus includes a width detector for a sheet placed on a sheet placement portion, a conveyor for conveying sheets while separating the sheets one by one, a first detector for detecting a sheet having a first width at a plurality of first positions, a second detector for detecting a sheet having a second width that is not detected by the first sheet detector at a plurality of second positions, and a controller for determining skewing of a sheet based on a result of the detection of the sheet performed by the first detector if the width of the sheet is the first width, and determining skewing of a sheet based on a result of the detection performed by the second detector if the width of the sheet is the second width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Matsumura, Satoshi Okuma
  • Patent number: 11143999
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet includes an image-forming unit that forms the image on the sheet, and a conveying unit that conveys the sheet on which the image is formed by the image-forming unit. The conveying unit includes a pair of first rollers that discharges the sheet to the outside of the image-forming apparatus and a pair of second rollers that conveys the sheet in a direction in which the sheet is discharged to the outside of the image-forming apparatus and that subsequently switches a conveyance direction of the sheet to an opposite direction to convey the sheet again to the image-forming unit. The pair of the first rollers and the pair of the second rollers partially overlap when viewed in a width direction of the sheet that is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junya Akatsuka, Masaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11137710
    Abstract: A print medium feeding device includes a guide unit; a first conveyance unit that applies first conveyance force F1 to the print medium, a first part of the first conveyance force applying section moving at a first linear velocity V1; a second conveyance unit including a second conveyance force applying section that makes contact with the print medium and applies second conveyance force F2 to the print medium, a second part of the second conveyance force applying section moving at a second linear velocity V2; and a third conveyance unit including a third conveyance force applying section that makes contact with the print medium and applies third conveyance force F3 to the print medium, a third part of the third conveyance force applying section moving at a third linear velocity V3, wherein V2>V3>V1 and F3>F1>F2 are satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Naoki Kanzawa
  • Patent number: 11136210
    Abstract: To correct a posture of a paper sheet inserted from various positions and angles to a normal transport state without causing any deformation due to contact with a side wall while transporting the paper sheet continuously and non-intermittently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: JAPAN CASH MACHINE CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kohei Haraguchi
  • Patent number: 11126127
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a sheet pickup body, a first sheet conveyor, and a second sheet conveyor, which are disposed in this order along a sheet conveyance direction, and circuitry. The first sheet conveyor includes a first sheet feed roller, a second sheet feed roller, and a first motor. The second sheet conveyor includes a conveyance roller and a second motor. The circuitry is configured to determine a sheet conveyance state of a sheet based on at least one of torque of the first motor of the first sheet conveyor and torque of the second motor of the second sheet conveyor. The first sheet conveyor is configured to interpose the sheet between the first sheet feed roller and the second sheet feed roller and convey the sheet to the second sheet conveyor as the first sheet feed roller rotates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideyuki Takayama