Patents by Inventor Akihito Sugiura

Akihito Sugiura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20210178783
    Abstract: There is provided an image recording apparatus including: an endless belt which extends in a conveying direction and which has a conveying surface configured to convey a medium; a driver configured to rotate the endless belt along the conveying direction; a support which is aligned with the endless belt in an orthogonal direction being parallel to the conveying surface and orthogonal to the conveying direction, the support having a pair of support walls extending in the conveying direction, and arranged at an interval in the orthogonal direction so as to define between each other a space opened in an orientation in which the conveying surface faces; an air flow generator configured to generate an air flow allowed to flow along the conveying direction in the space between the support walls; and a recorder configured to record an image on the medium supported by the endless belt and the support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Akihito SUGIURA, Masayuki OKUMURA, Shigeki KATO
  • Publication number: 20210179375
    Abstract: There is provided a conveyance apparatus including: a holder configured to hold a roll body so that the roll body is rotatable around a first axis; a first conveyance member configured to convey a sheet pulled out of the roll body in a conveyance orientation; a support member arranged downstream of the first conveyance member in the conveyance orientation and has a support surface facing a first surface of the sheet; a recording head facing the support surface; and a first guide member which is arranged between the first conveyance member and the support member in the conveyance orientation, and which has first and second guide surfaces configured to guide first and second surfaces of the sheet. The first guide surface and the second guide surface are configured to guide the sheet so that the sheet has a curved shape in a cross-section orthogonal to the conveyance orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Masayuki OKUMURA, Shigeki KATO, Akihito SUGIURA
  • Patent number: 9302884
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet, and a re-feeding mechanism configured to re-feed the sheet to the image forming unit. The re-feeding mechanism includes a fixed guide configured to guide the sheet fed in a sheet feed direction and having a guide surface partially defining re-feeding path through which the sheet passes, a base guide disposed downstream of the fixed guide, and a movable guide having a guide surface and configured to guide the sheet guided by the fixed guide and to move toward and away from the base guide. The fixed guide includes an engaging portion and the movable guide includes an engaging portion. The guide surface of the movable guide is positioned relative to the guide surface of the fixed guide when the engaging portion of the movable guide engages the engaging portion of the fixed guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihito Sugiura, Hikaru Iino
  • Publication number: 20150069698
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet, and a re-feeding mechanism configured to re-feed the sheet to the image forming unit. The re-feeding mechanism includes a fixed guide configured to guide the sheet fed in a sheet feed direction and having a guide surface partially defining re-feeding path through which the sheet passes, a base guide disposed downstream of the fixed guide, and a movable guide having a guide surface and configured to guide the sheet guided by the fixed guide and to move toward and away from the base guide. The fixed guide includes an engaging portion and the movable guide includes an engaging portion. The guide surface of the movable guide is positioned relative to the guide surface of the fixed guide when the engaging portion of the movable guide engages the engaging portion of the fixed guide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihito Sugiura, Hikaru Iino