Patents by Inventor Atsuto Hirai
Atsuto Hirai 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).
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Patent number: 11599037Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveyer that conveys a recording medium supporting an image; a softener that softens the image; and a powder applicator that applies powder to the surface of the softened image, in which the applied powder adheres to a range that is narrower in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyer than a maximum width of the image to be supported by the recording medium.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2021Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventor: Atsuto Hirai
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Publication number: 20220107583Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveyer that conveys a recording medium supporting an image; a softener that softens the image; and a powder applicator that applies powder to the surface of the softened image, in which the applied powder adheres to a range that is narrower in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the recording medium conveyed by the conveyer than a maximum width of the image to be supported by the recording medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2021Publication date: April 7, 2022Inventor: Atsuto HIRAI
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Publication number: 20220035267Abstract: A powder transfer device includes: a holder that detachably holds a powder applicator that applies a powder to an image; and a transfer part that transfers the powder onto the image from the powder applicator held by the holder, wherein the powder applicator having the powder adhering to a surface is mounted to the holder.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 6, 2021Publication date: February 3, 2022Inventors: KEITA SAITO, ATSUTO HIRAI
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Publication number: 20200192239Abstract: Provided is a powder pasting device for pasting powder on an image pattern formed on one main surface of a recording medium, the powder pasting device includes: a powder holding member having a powder holding surface holding powder by sticking; a powder supplying member that supplies powder to the powder holding surface; a rubbing member that rubs the powder holding surface to which powder has been supplied from the powder supplying member; and a facing member that is disposed at a position facing the powder holding surface of the powder holding member, sandwiches a recording medium having an image pattern functioning as an adhesive between the powder holding surface and the facing member, and thereby transfers the powder held on the powder holding surface by sticking onto the image pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2019Publication date: June 18, 2020Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventor: Atsuto HIRAI
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Patent number: 10639922Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a first electrification adjuster and a second electrification adjuster. The first electrification adjuster disposed to face the recording material to be conveyed supplies a charge with one polarity. The second electrification adjuster disposed downstream the first electrification adjuster in the conveying direction to face the recording material supplies the charge with opposite polarity to that of the charge supplied by the first electrification adjuster so that the ink-jet image is formed at the downstream side of the electrification adjuster.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2019Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Shigeo Uetake, Shigetaka Kurosu, Atsuto Hirai
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Patent number: 10620560Abstract: An electrification adjustment apparatus includes a first electrification adjuster facing the recording material conveyed for supplying charges each with one polarity, and a second electrification adjuster facing the recording material downstream of the first electrification adjuster in a conveying direction for supplying charges each with opposite polarity to that of the charge supplied by the first electrification adjuster. In the electrification adjustment apparatus, an electrostatic capacity between the recording material surface facing the second electrification adjuster, and an electrode partially or entirely formed from the conveyor member is smaller than the one between the recording material surface facing the first electrification adjuster and an electrode partially or entirely formed from the conveyor member. Either front or back surface of the recording material is in contact with the conveyor member in a region between the first and the second electrification adjusters.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2019Date of Patent: April 14, 2020Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Shigeo Uetake, Shigetaka Kurosu, Atsuto Hirai
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Publication number: 20190294074Abstract: An electrification adjustment apparatus includes a first electrification adjuster facing the recording material conveyed for supplying charges each with one polarity, and a second electrification adjuster facing the recording material downstream of the first electrification adjuster in a conveying direction for supplying charges each with opposite polarity to that of the charge supplied by the first electrification adjuster. In the electrification adjustment apparatus, an electrostatic capacity between the recording material surface facing the second electrification adjuster, and an electrode partially or entirely formed from the conveyor member is smaller than the one between the recording material surface facing the first electrification adjuster and an electrode partially or entirely formed from the conveyor member. Either front or back surface of the recording material is in contact with the conveyor member in a region between the first and the second electrification adjusters.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2019Publication date: September 26, 2019Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Shigeo UETAKE, Shigetaka KUROSU, Atsuto HIRAI
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Publication number: 20190291492Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a first electrification adjuster and a second electrification adjuster. The first electrification adjuster disposed to face the recording material to be conveyed supplies a charge with one polarity. The second electrification adjuster disposed downstream the first electrification adjuster in the conveying direction to face the recording material supplies the charge with opposite polarity to that of the charge supplied by the first electrification adjuster so that the ink-jet image is formed at the downstream side of the electrification adjuster.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2019Publication date: September 26, 2019Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Shigeo UETAKE, Shigetaka KUROSU, Atsuto HIRAI
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Patent number: 10168654Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a developing device, a cleaning unit and a processor. The developing device performs development with a developer containing a toner and a lubricant. The processor obtains information on a lubricant amount in the developing device; obtains, with respect to each section formed by dividing a surface of the image carrying member in a rotating shaft direction of the image carrying member, a partial coverage from electrostatic latent image writing information for a predetermined period about the section; sets, for the section having the partial coverage of a predetermined value or less, a developer supply amount for a patch to be formed outside an image forming region on the image carrying member, based on the above information; and causes the developing device to supply the set developer supply amount so that the patch is formed.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2016Date of Patent: January 1, 2019Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventors: Yuya Sato, Atsuto Hirai
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Patent number: 9864321Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member to which lubricant is supplied; a developing section that forms a toner image by attaching toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member; and a control section that controls an amount of the lubricant in the developing section based on an area ratio of the toner image formed on the image bearing member and a development condition when the toner image is formed by the developing section.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2016Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventor: Atsuto Hirai
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Patent number: 9829831Abstract: The present wet development device includes a developer carrying member, a supply member that supplies a liquid developer to the developer carrying member, a charger that charges the liquid developer on the developer carrying member, a cleaner that removes the liquid developer on the developer carrying member, and a bias applying member that applies alternating bias in contact with the developer carrying member before removing by the cleaner. In a direction in alignment with an axis of rotation of the developer carrying member, a range to which the alternating bias is applied by the bias applying, member is located within a range in which the liquid developer is supplied onto the developer carrying member.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2015Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventors: Atsuto Hirai, Takeshi Maeyama, Yuya Sato, Kunitomo Sasaki
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Patent number: 9798281Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to which lubricant is supplied; a toner image forming section; and a patch image forming section and a control section configured to control the toner image forming section and the patch image forming section such that a first development condition for forming the patch image and a second development condition for forming the toner image are different from each other.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2016Date of Patent: October 24, 2017Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventor: Atsuto Hirai
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Patent number: 9665044Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image bearing body on which a latent image is formed; a lubricant supplying unit configured to supply lubricant to the latent image bearing body; a developing unit configured to develop the latent image as a toner image by supplying the lubricant taken in from the latent image bearing body to the latent image bearing body together with charged toner; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image to an image bearing body at a transfer position by applying a transfer voltage to the toner image; and a control unit configured to control application of the transfer voltage, wherein the lubricant is charged to a polarity opposite to a charging polarity of the toner, and based on an area ratio of a transferred image and the number of transferred sheets, the control unit controls the transfer voltage to be applied.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2016Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventors: Yuya Sato, Atsuto Hirai
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Patent number: 9651892Abstract: A supply member of this wet type image forming apparatus has a surface rotating in a direction the same as a surface of a developer carrier at the same peripheral velocity at a portion abutting to the developer carrier. A control unit causes toner particles on the supply member to move to the developer carrier by providing a potential difference between the developer carrier and the supply member and controls an amount of toner particles on a latent image carrier by controlling electric power of a first charging member.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2014Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventor: Atsuto Hirai
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Publication number: 20170123358Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a developing device, a cleaning unit and a processor. The developing device performs development with a developer containing a toner and a lubricant. The processor obtains information on a lubricant amount in the developing device; obtains, with respect to each section formed by dividing a surface of the image carrying member in a rotating shaft direction of the image carrying member, a partial coverage from electrostatic latent image writing information for a predetermined period about the section; sets, for the section having the partial coverage of a predetermined value or less, a developer supply amount for a patch to be formed outside an image forming region on the image carrying member, based on the above information; and causes the developing device to supply the set developer supply amount so that the patch is formed.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2016Publication date: May 4, 2017Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Yuya Sato, Atsuto Hirai
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Patent number: 9639033Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image carrier; an image forming unit configured to form, on the latent image carrier, a toner image using a developer including a toner and a lubricating external additive charged with an opposite polarity to a charge polarity of the toner; a transfer device configured to electrostatically transfer, at a transfer position, the toner image formed by the image forming unit to a transfer medium; and a cleaning device configured to remove the toner remaining on the latent image carrier after passing the transfer position. The transfer device is configured to control a transfer voltage applied at the transfer position, based on an area ratio of an image to be printed.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2016Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventor: Atsuto Hirai
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Publication number: 20170045857Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member to which lubricant is supplied; a developing section that forms a toner image by attaching toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member; and a control section that controls an amount of the lubricant in the developing section based on an area ratio of the toner image formed on the image bearing member and a development condition when the toner image is formed by the developing section.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 29, 2016Publication date: February 16, 2017Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventor: Atsuto HIRAI
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Publication number: 20170038720Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to which lubricant is supplied; a toner image forming section; and a patch image forming section and a control section configured to control the toner image forming section and the patch image forming section such that a first development condition for forming the patch image and a second development condition for forming the toner image are different from each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 29, 2016Publication date: February 9, 2017Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventor: Atsuto HIRAI
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Publication number: 20160282771Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image bearing body on which a latent image is formed; a lubricant supplying unit configured to supply lubricant to the latent image bearing body; a developing unit configured to develop the latent image as a toner image by supplying the lubricant taken in from the latent image bearing body to the latent image bearing body together with charged toner; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image to an image bearing body at a transfer position by applying a transfer voltage to the toner image; and a control unit configured to control application of the transfer voltage, wherein the lubricant is charged to a polarity opposite to a charging polarity of the toner, and based on an area ratio of a transferred image and the number of transferred sheets, the control unit controls the transfer voltage to be applied.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2016Publication date: September 29, 2016Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.Inventors: Yuya SATO, Atsuto HIRAI
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Publication number: 20160216652Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image carrier; an image forming unit configured to form, on the latent image carrier, a toner image using a developer including a toner and a lubricating external additive charged with an opposite polarity to a charge polarity of the toner; a transfer device configured to electrostatically transfer, at a transfer position, the toner image formed by the image forming unit to a transfer medium; and a cleaning device configured to remove the toner remaining on the latent image carrier after passing the transfer position. The transfer device is configured to control a transfer voltage applied at the transfer position, based on an area ratio of an image to be printed.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2016Publication date: July 28, 2016Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.Inventor: ATSUTO HIRAI