Patents by Inventor Chihiro Hagiwara
Chihiro Hagiwara 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: 11852993Abstract: A toner container includes: a container that accommodates toner and transports, by rotating, the toner to an opening disposed at a first end portion in a direction of a rotation axis; a support portion that covers a periphery of the container near the first end portion, and supports the container to be rotatable in a circumferential direction, the support portion being attached to an image forming apparatus body and having a sealant interposed between the support portion and the container; and a fixing portion that fixes the container and the support portion to each other while the sealant is compressed when the support portion is rotated relative to the container in a first circumferential direction.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2022Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Kento Terashima, Kiyoshi Sako, Keiji Sanekata, Chihiro Hagiwara, Masayuki Shimoda
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Publication number: 20230400796Abstract: A toner container includes: a container that accommodates toner and transports, by rotating, the toner to an opening disposed at a first end portion in a direction of a rotation axis; a support portion that covers a periphery of the container near the first end portion, and supports the container to be rotatable in a circumferential direction, the support portion being attached to an image forming apparatus body and having a sealant interposed between the support portion and the container; and a fixing portion that fixes the container and the support portion to each other while the sealant is compressed when the support portion is rotated relative to the container in a first circumferential direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2022Publication date: December 14, 2023Applicant: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Kento TERASHIMA, Kiyoshi SAKO, Keiji SANEKATA, Chihiro HAGIWARA, Masayuki SHIMODA
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Patent number: 11841637Abstract: A developing device includes: a storage part in which a developer is stored; a transport body that includes a spiral blade and transports the developer via a rotation thereof; a developing body to which the developer is supplied from the transport body; an attachment part which is disposed between the transport body and the developing body and includes an opening allowing the developer supplied from the transport body to the developing body to pass and to which a sealing member sealing the opening is detachably attached; and a connection portion which extends to cross the opening at a spiral angle of the blade as viewed from the developing body toward the transport body and of which one end portion and the other end portion are connected to the attachment part.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2022Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Kiyoshi Sako, Chihiro Hagiwara, Keiji Sanekata, Masayuki Shimoda, Kento Terashima
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Publication number: 20230384709Abstract: A developing device includes: a storage part in which a developer is stored; a transport body that includes a spiral blade and transports the developer via a rotation thereof; a developing body to which the developer is supplied from the transport body; an attachment part which is disposed between the transport body and the developing body and includes an opening allowing the developer supplied from the transport body to the developing body to pass and to which a sealing member sealing the opening is detachably attached; and a connection portion which extends to cross the opening at a spiral angle of the blade as viewed from the developing body toward the transport body and of which one end portion and the other end portion are connected to the attachment part.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 9, 2022Publication date: November 30, 2023Applicant: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Kiyoshi SAKO, Chihiro HAGIWARA, Keiji SANEKATA, Masayuki SHIMODA, Kento TERASHIMA
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Patent number: 11822281Abstract: A sensor cleaning device includes: a cleaning member including an inclined portion that wipes and cleans an entire surface of a sensor, which includes a long side portion extending in a longitudinal direction and a short side portion extending in a lateral direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction, while moving relative to the surface of the sensor in the longitudinal direction of the surface of the sensor and is disposed obliquely to a wiping direction so that an upstream end portion of the inclined portion in the wiping direction is positioned outside the surface of the sensor in the lateral direction; and a moving mechanism that moves the cleaning member in the wiping direction and in a direction opposite to the wiping direction.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2022Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Keiji Sanekata, Chihiro Hagiwara, Kiyoshi Sako, Kento Terashima, Masayuki Shimoda
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Publication number: 20230324830Abstract: A developing device includes a housing in which a circulation path is formed by a first path through which a developer passed to a developing roll flows, a second path disposed offset from the first path in a direction of gravity, and a pair of connecting ports connecting the first path and the second path; and a transport member that operates in the housing to transport the developer in a determined direction in the circulation path, in which the transport member transports the developer in the determined direction in a case where a load at a determined time during transportation in the determined direction is equal to or less than a reference value, transports the developer in a reverse direction to the determined direction in a case where the load at the determined time during transportation in the determined direction exceeds the reference value, and transports the developer in the determined direction in a case where a load during or after transportation in the reverse direction is equal to or less thanType: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2022Publication date: October 12, 2023Applicant: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Chihiro HAGIWARA, Kiyoshi SAKO, Keiji SANEKATA, Masayuki SHIMODA, Kento TERASHIMA
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Publication number: 20230305479Abstract: A sensor cleaning device includes: a cleaning member including an inclined portion that wipes and cleans an entire surface of a sensor, which includes a long side portion extending in a longitudinal direction and a short side portion extending in a lateral direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction, while moving relative to the surface of the sensor in the longitudinal direction of the surface of the sensor and is disposed obliquely to a wiping direction so that an upstream end portion of the inclined portion in the wiping direction is positioned outside the surface of the sensor in the lateral direction; and a moving mechanism that moves the cleaning member in the wiping direction and in a direction opposite to the wiping direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2022Publication date: September 28, 2023Applicant: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Keiji SANEKATA, Chihiro HAGIWARA, Kiyoshi SAKO, Kento TERASHIMA, Masayuki SHIMODA
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Patent number: 11385567Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier configured to carry an image; a developing unit configured to develop the image carried by the image carrier with a developer; and a developer replenishing unit configured to supply the developer to the developing unit, the developer replenishing unit being configured to predict, in advance, an amount of developer consumed by the image carrier at a start or an end of image formation apart from developer consumed in the image formation, to replenish the predicted amount of the developer.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2021Date of Patent: July 12, 2022Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Chihiro Hagiwara, Haruno Nagumo
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Publication number: 20220137531Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier configured to carry an image; a developing unit configured to develop the image carried by the image carrier with a developer; and a developer replenishing unit configured to supply the developer to the developing unit, the developer replenishing unit being configured to predict, in advance, an amount of developer consumed by the image carrier at a start or an end of image formation apart from developer consumed in the image formation, to replenish the predicted amount of the developer.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2021Publication date: May 5, 2022Applicant: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Chihiro HAGIWARA, Haruno NAGUMO
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Patent number: 11061348Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first plurality of image forming sections that form a first toner image for adjustment and transfer the first toner image for adjustment to a medium; a second plurality of image forming sections that form a second toner image for adjustment and transfer the second toner image for adjustment to the medium; and a detection device configured to detect a misregistration between the first toner image for adjustment transferred to the medium and the second toner image for adjustment transferred to the medium.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2020Date of Patent: July 13, 2021Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Satoshi Tanaka, Chihiro Hagiwara
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Patent number: 11054779Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, supply devices, and a speed changing unit. The image forming units form toner images of different colors. Each of the image forming units includes a developing device containing toner of a corresponding one of the different colors. The supply devices supply toner to the developing devices. In a high development mode, the speed changing unit changes a drive rotational speed of the developing device or a speed of an image formation operation to a lower speed compared with a case of a normal mode. The normal mode is a mode in which a toner image is formed with a normal amount of toner adhesion. The high development mode is a mode in which at least one of the image forming units forms a toner image with a large amount of toner adhesion.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2019Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.Inventors: Satoshi Tanaka, Junichi Ishibashi, Keiji Sanekata, Chihiro Hagiwara
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Patent number: 10877418Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, secondary transfer units, and first and second detection devices. Each image forming unit includes image forming devices, and a primary intermediate transfer body. Toner images formed by the image forming devices are primarily transferred to the primary intermediate transfer body. The secondary transfer units are provided for the image forming units, respectively. Each secondary transfer unit is configured to secondarily transfer the toner images on a corresponding one of the primary intermediate transfer bodies to a transfer body. The first detection device is configured to detect the toner images downstream of the most downstream secondary transfer position. The second detection device is provided in at least one of the image forming units. The second detection device is configured to detect the toner images between the most downstream primary transfer position in the primary intermediate transfer body and a secondary transfer position.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2019Date of Patent: December 29, 2020Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Chihiro Hagiwara, Satoshi Tanaka
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Publication number: 20200310305Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first plurality of image forming sections that form a first toner image for adjustment and transfer the first toner image for adjustment to a medium; a second plurality of image forming sections that form a second toner image for adjustment and transfer the second toner image for adjustment to the medium; and a detection device configured to detect a misregistration between the first toner image for adjustment transferred to the medium and the second toner image for adjustment transferred to the medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2020Publication date: October 1, 2020Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Satoshi TANAKA, Chihiro Hagiwara
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Publication number: 20200310304Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, secondary transfer units, and first and second detection devices. Each image forming unit includes image forming devices, and a primary intermediate transfer body. Toner images formed by the image forming devices are primarily transferred to the primary intermediate transfer body. The secondary transfer units are provided for the image forming units, respectively. Each secondary transfer unit is configured to secondarily transfer the toner images on a corresponding one of the primary intermediate transfer bodies to a transfer body. The first detection device is configured to detect the toner images downstream of the most downstream secondary transfer position. The second detection device is provided in at least one of the image forming units. The second detection device is configured to detect the toner images between the most downstream primary transfer position in the primary intermediate transfer body and a secondary transfer position.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2019Publication date: October 1, 2020Applicant: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.Inventors: Chihiro Hagiwara, Satoshi Tanaka
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Publication number: 20200096924Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming units, supply devices, and a speed changing unit. The image forming units form toner images of different colors. Each of the image forming units includes a developing device containing toner of a corresponding one of the different colors. The supply devices supply toner to the developing devices. In a high development mode, the speed changing unit changes a drive rotational speed of the developing device or a speed of an image formation operation to a lower speed compared with a case of a normal mode. The normal mode is a mode in which a toner image is formed with a normal amount of toner adhesion. The high development mode is a mode in which at least one of the image forming units forms a toner image with a large amount of toner adhesion.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2019Publication date: March 26, 2020Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Satoshi TANAKA, Junichi ISHIBASHI, Keiji SANEKATA, Chihiro HAGIWARA
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Patent number: 10599075Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: plural image forming units that each include plural image forming sections and a first intermediate transfer body to which toner images formed by the plural image forming sections are transferred through first transfer; plural second transfer sections provided in correspondence with the plural image forming units to transfer the toner images on the first intermediate transfer body to a recording medium through second transfer; and a detection device that detects the toner images downstream of a most downstream one of the second transfer sections.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2019Date of Patent: March 24, 2020Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Satoshi Tanaka, Chihiro Hagiwara
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Publication number: 20160266530Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming sections each including a developing section having a developer bearing member and a developer supply unit and a transfer unit that transfers an image developed on a photoconductor by the developing unit onto a transfer body, a controller that controls a driving time of the developer bearing member so that developer is born on the developer bearing member during a period when image formation is not performed and the developer attached to the transfer body by the image forming sections does not overlap, a detector that detects the attached developer by each image forming section, and a specification unit that specifies the image forming section which attaches the developer to the transfer body, on the basis of a time from when the controller starts driving the developer bearing member to when the detector detects the developer attached to the transfer body.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2015Publication date: September 15, 2016Inventors: Junichi ISHIBASHI, Satoshi TANAKA, Keiji SANEKATA, Shinji MITSUI, Chihiro HAGIWARA
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Patent number: 9423747Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image forming sections each including a developing section having a developer bearing member and a developer supply unit and a transfer unit that transfers an image developed on a photoconductor by the developing unit onto a transfer body, a controller that controls a driving time of the developer bearing member so that developer is born on the developer bearing member during a period when image formation is not performed and the developer attached to the transfer body by the image forming sections does not overlap, a detector that detects the attached developer by each image forming section, and a specification unit that specifies the image forming section which attaches the developer to the transfer body, on the basis of a time from when the controller starts driving the developer bearing member to when the detector detects the developer attached to the transfer body.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2015Date of Patent: August 23, 2016Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Junichi Ishibashi, Satoshi Tanaka, Keiji Sanekata, Shinji Mitsui, Chihiro Hagiwara
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Patent number: 9400449Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a latent image forming unit, a developing unit, replenishing unit, and a control unit. The latent image forming unit forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image information signal on an image carrier. The developing unit develops the electrostatic latent image using a two-component developer in which magnetic carriers are mixed with toner to form a visible image. The replenishing unit replenishes the toner to the developing unit. The control unit controls switching between first processing, which includes idling processing for replenishing at least part of residual toner, which is to be replenished to the developing unit and remains without being replenished to the developing unit, to the developing unit and stirring the toner within the developing unit, and second processing, which includes the idling processing and density correction processing for correcting a density of the toner within the developing unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2015Date of Patent: July 26, 2016Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Chihiro Hagiwara, Yoshifumi Ozaki, Takuya Iwamura, Shinji Mitsui
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Patent number: 9383682Abstract: A developing device includes a first transport path and a second transport path. In the first transport path, a developer containing toner and a magnetic material is transported in the axial direction of a first transport member that opposes a developer holding element by rotation of the first transport member. The second transport path includes plural flow paths that extend along the axial direction, and plural second transport members provided in the plural flow paths to transport the developer. The plural flow paths each have a length in the axial direction that is shorter than the length of the first transport path in the axial direction. Respective end portions of the first and second transport path are connected such that the developer which has flowed into the second transport path from one end of the first transport path flows into the other end of the first transport path.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2015Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Yoshifumi Ozaki, Chihiro Hagiwara, Shinji Mitsui, Takuya Iwamura, Satoshi Tanaka