Patents by Inventor Ayumu Oda

Ayumu Oda 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: 20190132461
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and a separate unit separated from the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes an opening/closing section that is provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus and opens frontward. The separate unit is configured to be movable along a predetermined movement path between a predetermined first position at which the opening/closing section is openable/closable and a predetermined second position that is positioned in front of the image forming apparatus. At the second position, the separate unit blocks at least part of the opening/closing section in such a manner that the opening/closing section is not opened.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: KIWAMU MORITA, AYUMU ODA
  • Patent number: 8446448
    Abstract: With a configuration for adhering and fixing a laser diode holder to a holding portion, sufficient supporting strength of the laser diode holder is given without unnecessarily increasing an amount of an adhesive agent and a solidification time of the adhesive agent. The adhesive agent is applied so as to couple an outer circumferential surface of the laser diode holder and a wall surface of an opening provided in a housing. Here, one or both of the outer circumferential surface of the laser diode holder and the wall surface of the opening of the housing has a recess at a portion to which the adhesive agent is applied. The recess has such a shape that an inner side of an outer edge is concaved, and the outer edge at least partially has a shape extending toward a coupling portion between the laser diode holder and the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ayumu Oda
  • Publication number: 20120224238
    Abstract: A substrate fastening structure is provided with a substrate on which an optical detection sensor is mounted, and a casing to which the substrate is secured internally. The casing is provided with a reference portion having a reference groove formed in a perpendicular direction with respect to a first surface configured on an inner side of the casing, and an opposing portion having an opposing groove that opposes the reference groove. The opposing portion is provided with a pass-through hole that is located on an extension of a straight line on which the reference groove and the opposing groove oppose each other, and that passes through the opposing portion. The substrate is inserted extending across the reference groove and the opposing groove, and has an opposing end face that opposes the opposing portion, and has a cut-out portion formed in the opposing end face, and a fastening member that is inserted into the pass-through hole presses the cut-out portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Shirai, Ayumu Oda
  • Patent number: 8130431
    Abstract: In one embodiment of an optical scanning apparatus, a light blocking member is provided that is disposed facing a reflective face of a polygon mirror near the reflective face, and blocks stray light without blocking light in an effective scanning range of a laser beam. The light blocking member includes a light blocking plate having an opposing face that faces the reflective face of the polygon mirror, a support plate that supports the light blocking plate, and a fixing plate that fixes the lower edge portion of the support plate to a support member. The opposing face of the light blocking plate is inclined relative to the reflective face of the polygon mirror, and a space below the light blocking plate is open.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ayumu Oda, Nobuhiro Shirai
  • Publication number: 20110317426
    Abstract: With a configuration for adhering and fixing a laser diode holder to a holding portion, sufficient supporting strength of the laser diode holder is given without unnecessarily increasing an amount of an adhesive agent and a solidification time of the adhesive agent. The adhesive agent is applied so as to couple an outer circumferential surface of the laser diode holder and a wall surface of an opening provided in a housing. Here, one or both of the outer circumferential surface of the laser diode holder and the wall surface of the opening of the housing has a recess at a portion to which the adhesive agent is applied. The recess has such a shape that an inner side of an outer edge is concaved, and the outer edge at least partially has a shape extending toward a coupling portion between the laser diode holder and the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventor: Ayumu ODA
  • Patent number: 8040542
    Abstract: A display system is provided that can perform suitable procedure display in accordance with the respective operation statuses of a plurality of electronic devices. The display system is formed by connecting an electronic device, a portable terminal, and an information distributing apparatus through a network, and the electronic device has a description tool affixed to the device to indicate the electronic device information of the device and transmits the state information of the device to the information distributing apparatus. The portable terminal acquires the electronic device information of the electronic device from the description tool and transmits it to the information distributing apparatus and displays the returned operation procedure information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ayumu Oda, Atsushi Kurimoto
  • Patent number: 8004552
    Abstract: In an optical scanning device having a lens within a housing, the attachment of the lens to the housing is facilitated. The occurrence of lens distortion and warpage is prevented when the lens is formed by an injection molding apparatus. The lens is a long lens elongated in the main scanning direction for a photoreceptor and has support ends formed at both ends of outside of the lens effective area in the longitudinal direction, and one of the support ends formed at both the ends has a first projection that projects from a side surface in a thickness direction of the lens. The lens is positioned and equipped in the longitude direction of the lens relative to the housing supporting the lens with the first projection in the optical scanning device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ayumu Oda
  • Patent number: 7938398
    Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus used in a state where the apparatus accumulates paper sheets for an image forming apparatus to form images thereon and the paper feeding apparatus is attached to a main body of the image forming apparatus, wherein an engaging-holding member is provided for an exterior wall face of the paper feeding apparatus, and the engaging-holding member engages and holds the paper feeding apparatus with an exterior housing of the image forming apparatus so as to enable the paper feeding apparatus to move into/from the exterior housing of the image forming apparatus, is provided for an exterior wall face of the paper feeding apparatus, and wherein the engaging-holding member is provided for a specific one of the exterior wall faces of the paper feeding apparatus corresponding to the moving direction determined according to the specification of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kohichi Yamauchi, Nobuo Manabe, Kohichi Nakamura, Shinichi Takeda, Ayumu Oda
  • Patent number: 7791633
    Abstract: An optical scanning unit irradiates a polygon mirror with a plurality of light beams emitted from a light source according to image data, and scans and exposes a plurality of photoreceptors with the plurality of light beams as scanning lights. The optical scanning unit comprises a primary optical system unit including an optical system that emits the plurality of light beams, which are emitted from the light source toward the polygon mirror, and a secondary optical system unit including an optical system that emits the light beams, which are reflected by the polygon mirror toward the photoreceptors. The arrangement is such that the primary optical system unit is fitted removably to the secondary optical system unit, and that a combined unit of the primary optical system unit and the secondary optical system unit is removably fitted to an image forming apparatus having the photoreceptors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takasumi Wada, Takayuki Ohno, Yasuhiro Ono, Ayumu Oda, Takahisa Narikiyo
  • Publication number: 20100060965
    Abstract: In one embodiment of an optical scanning apparatus, a light blocking member is provided that is disposed facing a reflective face of a polygon mirror near the reflective face, and blocks stray light without blocking light in an effective scanning range of a laser beam. The light blocking member includes a light blocking plate having an opposing face that faces the reflective face of the polygon mirror, a support plate that supports the light blocking plate, and a fixing plate that fixes the lower edge portion of the support plate to a support member. The opposing face of the light blocking plate is inclined relative to the reflective face of the polygon mirror, and a space below the light blocking plate is open.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2009
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Inventors: Ayumu ODA, Nobuhiro SHIRAI
  • Publication number: 20090324292
    Abstract: In an optical scanning device having a lens within a housing, the attachment of the lens to the housing is facilitated. The occurrence of lens distortion and warpage is prevented when the lens is formed by an injection molding apparatus. The lens is a long lens elongated in the main scanning direction for a photoreceptor and has support ends formed at both ends of outside of the lens effective area in the longitudinal direction, and one of the support ends formed at both the ends has a first projection that projects from a side surface in a thickness direction of the lens. The lens is positioned and equipped in the longitude direction of the lens relative to the housing supporting the lens with the first projection in the optical scanning device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Inventor: Ayumu ODA
  • Patent number: 7623282
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a polygon motor that rotates a reflection member; a laser emitting section that emits a laser beam toward a side face of the rotating reflection member; a photoconductor that is scanned by a laser beam reflected from the side face of the reflection member; a beam detecting section that detects a scanning start position of the reflected laser beam, and a scanning final position; and a control section that controls the polygon motor and the laser emitting section, based on detection signals from the beam detecting section, wherein when the detection signal at the scanning start position does not meet a predetermined time-based standard and/or a predetermined output-level standard, the control section controls the polygon motor so that the reflection member rotates in a reverse direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ayumu Oda
  • Publication number: 20090251755
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a polygon motor that rotates a reflection member; a laser emitting section that emits a laser beam toward a side face of the rotating reflection member; a photoconductor that is scanned by a laser beam reflected from the side face of the reflection member; a beam detecting section that detects a scanning start position of the reflected laser beam, and a scanning final position; and a control section that controls the polygon motor and the laser emitting section, based on detection signals from the beam detecting section, wherein when the detection signal at the scanning start position does not meet a predetermined time-based standard and/or a predetermined output-level standard, the control section controls the polygon motor so that the reflection member rotates in a reverse direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Inventor: Ayumu ODA
  • Patent number: 7589751
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an adjusting mechanism that adjusts an interval between an LED head writing an optical image on a photoreceptor and a photoreceptor drum to a reference interval (A), and the adjusting mechanism includes a regulating member attached to the LED head. In the adjustment of the interval between the LED head and the photoreceptor drum, the LED head and the regulating member are integrally moved until the regulating member comes into contact with the photoreceptor drum. The interval between the LED head and the photoreceptor drum is (A-B) at this point. The LED head and the regulating member are moved in the direction opposite to the photoreceptor drum by a distance (B). As a result, the interval between the LED head and the photoreceptor drum is set to the reference interval (A).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shohichi Fukutome, Ayumu Oda, Takaharu Motoyama, Tomohiko Okada
  • Patent number: 7505187
    Abstract: According to the present invention, highly accurate adjustment of the angles and positions of optical elements constituting an optical scanning unit can be easily performed. For a cylindrical lens that makes the light beam for exposing a photoreceptor converge on the surface of the photoreceptor, a frame is provided for holding the cylindrical lens therein. The frame is supported by two support portions for a chassis of the optical scanning unit such that the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical lens becomes parallel to the scanning direction of the photoreceptor. The optical scanning unit is configured such that the angle of the cylindrical lens in the longitudinal direction is adjustable in the sub-scanning direction of the photoreceptor at the support portion on the front side (operational side) of these support portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ayumu Oda, Masaki Saka, Atsushi Ueda, Yasuhiro Ono, Makoto Masuda, Kenzo Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 7502046
    Abstract: According to the present invention, highly accurate adjustment of the angles and positions of optical elements constituting an optical scanning unit can be easily performed. The optical scanning unit comprises: a first mirror that reflects the light beams emitted from Y, C and M laser diodes; a second mirror that reflects the light beam emitted from a K laser diode and the light beams reflected by the first mirror; a cylindrical lens that acts on the light beams reflected by the second mirror; and a third mirror that reflects the light beams emitted from the cylindrical lens toward a polygon mirror. The second mirror is provided with an adjusting mechanism that can adjust the light beams in the main scanning direction, and the third mirror is provided with an adjusting mechanism that can adjust the light beams in the sub-scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Ono, Masaki Saka, Ayumu Oda, Takahisa Narikiyo
  • Publication number: 20080278753
    Abstract: A display system is provided that can perform suitable procedure display in accordance with the respective operation statuses of a plurality of electronic devices. The display system is formed by connecting an electronic device, a portable terminal, and an information distributing apparatus through a network, and the electronic device has a description tool affixed to the device to indicate the electronic device information of the device and transmits the state information of the device to the information distributing apparatus. The portable terminal acquires the electronic device information of the electronic device from the description tool and transmits it to the information distributing apparatus and displays the returned operation procedure information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Ayumu Oda, Atsushi Kurimoto
  • Publication number: 20080265491
    Abstract: A paper feeding apparatus used in a state where the apparatus accumulates paper sheets for an image forming apparatus to form images thereon and the paper feeding apparatus is attached to a main body of the image forming apparatus, wherein an engaging-holding member is provided for an exterior wall face of the paper feeding apparatus, and the engaging-holding member engages and holds the paper feeding apparatus with an exterior housing of the image forming apparatus so as to enable the paper feeding apparatus to move into/from the exterior housing of the image forming apparatus, is provided for an exterior wall face of the paper feeding apparatus, and wherein the engaging-holding member is provided for a specific one of the exterior wall faces of the paper feeding apparatus corresponding to the moving direction determined according to the specification of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: Kohichi YAMAUCHI, Nobuo Manabe, Kohichi Nakamura, Shinichi Takeda, Ayumu Oda
  • Patent number: 7411710
    Abstract: An optical beam scanning device is configured from a deflecting unit that has a function to support a deflecting member and a light source, including an exposing semiconductor laser, a polygon mirror, a first f? lens and a second f? lens, and strictly regulate their position relative to each other; and a support member that has a function to support a mirror, a second cylindrical lens and a AD sensor along with the deflecting unit, and appropriately position them relative to a photoreceptor drum; and a housing that has a function to cover the outer portion of the deflecting unit and the support member, along with strengthening the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ayumu Oda
  • Publication number: 20070126852
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an adjusting mechanism that adjusts an interval between an LED head writing an optical image on a photoreceptor and a photoreceptor drum to a reference interval (A), and the adjusting mechanism includes a regulating member attached to the LED head. In the adjustment of the interval between the LED head and the photoreceptor drum, the LED head and the regulating member are integrally moved until the regulating member comes into contact with the photoreceptor drum. The interval between the LED head and the photoreceptor drum is (A-B) at this point. The LED head and the regulating member are moved in the direction opposite to the photoreceptor drum by a distance (B). As a result, the interval between the LED head and the photoreceptor drum is set to the reference interval (A).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventors: Shohichi Fukutome, Ayumu Oda, Takaharu Motoyama, Tomohiko Okada