Patents by Inventor Hideki Ohta

Hideki Ohta 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).

  • Patent number: 11934125
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating rotary member that heats toner born on a recording material, and a pressure rotary member that pressurizes the heating rotary member. These rotary members form a fixing nip portion and fix a toner image to the recording material at the fixing nip portion while nipping and conveying the recording material. The apparatus further includes a web that collects toner adhering to a surface of the heating rotary member, a winding roller that winds the web, a motor that rotates the winding roller, a contact member that makes contact with an outer surface of the wound web and moves based on a position of the outer surface, a variable resistor that is connected to change a resistance value depending on a position of the contact member, and a control unit that controls a rotation amount of the motor based on the resistance value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Ohta
  • Patent number: 11934120
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating rotary member and a pressing rotary member. The pressing rotary member and the heating rotary member form a fixing nip portion and are configured to apply heat and pressure to a toner image carried on a recording medium at the fixing nip portion, thereby fix the toner image onto the recording medium. The image forming apparatus further includes a winding roller configured to wind up a web used to collect toner that is not fixed to the recording medium, a motor configured to rotate the winding roller, a contact member configured to contact an outside surface of the web wound around the winding roller, a variable resistor disposed so as to be able to change a resistance in accordance with a position of the contact member, and a control unit configured to control an amount of rotation of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Takayuki Hata, Junichiro Nakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20240085832
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Terutaka Endo, Seiji Obata, Jiro Moriya, Takayuki Mizuta
  • Publication number: 20230406010
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus to process a sheet includes a first conveyance path, a punching unit, a storage unit, a movement unit, and a receiving unit. The punching unit punches the sheet conveyed in the first conveyance path. The storage unit is removable from the sheet processing apparatus and stores punch chips generated by the punching unit. The movement unit moves together with the punching unit in a direction parallel to a movement direction of the punching unit. The receiving unit is between the movement unit and the storage unit and receives the punch chips from the punching unit via the movement unit while supporting the movement unit. When the storage unit is removed in a state in which punch chips stored in the storage unit have accumulated to reach the receiving unit, some of the punch chips that have reached the receiving unit are leveled by the receiving unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventors: YASUHIRO NAKAHARA, NAOYUKI MAEDA, HIDEKI OHTA, JUN AGATA
  • Patent number: 11846902
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Terutaka Endo, Seiji Obata, Jiro Moriya, Takayuki Mizuta
  • Publication number: 20230152736
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating rotary member and a pressing rotary member. The pressing rotary member and the heating rotary member form a fixing nip portion and are configured to apply heat and pressure to a toner image carried on a recording medium at the fixing nip portion, thereby fix the toner image onto the recording medium. The image forming apparatus further includes a winding roller configured to wind up a web used to collect toner that is not fixed to the recording medium, a motor configured to rotate the winding roller, a contact member configured to contact an outside surface of the web wound around the winding roller, a variable resistor disposed so as to be able to change a resistance in accordance with a position of the contact member, and a control unit configured to control an amount of rotation of the motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Takayuki Hata, Junichiro Nakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20230068327
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating rotary member that heats toner born on a recording material, and a pressure rotary member that pressurizes the heating rotary member. These rotary members form a fixing nip portion and fix a toner image to the recording material at the fixing nip portion while nipping and conveying the recording material. The apparatus further includes a web that collects toner adhering to a surface of the heating rotary member, a winding roller that winds the web, a motor that rotates the winding roller, a contact member that makes contact with an outer surface of the wound web and moves based on a position of the outer surface, a variable resistor that is connected to change a resistance value depending on a position of the contact member, and a control unit that controls a rotation amount of the motor based on the resistance value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventor: Hideki Ohta
  • Publication number: 20220382198
    Abstract: A sheet discharge apparatus includes a stack portion, a reversing unit configured to reverse a reversing sheet, a support member configured to support a lower surface of the reversing sheet, a discharging unit configured to discharge a discharging sheet from the apparatus body, a pivotable member arranged above the stack portion, and a detector configured to output a detection signal that changes according to a pivot angle of the pivotable member. When viewed in a sheet width direction perpendicular to the first conveyance direction, a pivoting locus in which the pivotable member pivots overlaps the support member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Inventors: Koichi Sekimizu, Seiji Obata, Hideki Ohta, Takehito Osada
  • Publication number: 20220244666
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Terutaka Endo, Seiji Obata, Jiro Moriya, Takayuki Mizuta
  • Patent number: 11320770
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Terutaka Endo, Seiji Obata, Jiro Moriya, Takayuki Mizuta
  • Patent number: 11181861
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion for forming a toner image on a sheet, a fixing portion for fixing the toner image formed by the image forming portion on the sheet, a reversing portion for reversing the sheet carrying the toner image fixed by the fixing portion, a blower for blowing air, and a duct for guiding the air blown from the blower to the reversing portion. The duct is provided with an opening at an end in a width direction of the sheet, and the blower blows the air from a downstream side to an upstream side with respect to the feeding direction of the sheet after being reversed by the reversing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Ohta
  • Publication number: 20210034011
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion for forming a toner image on a sheet; a fixing portion for fixing the toner image formed by the image forming portion, on the sheet; a reversing portion for reversing the sheet carrying the toner image fixed by the fixing portion; a blower for blowing air; and a duct for guiding the air blown from the blower means to the reversing means. The duct is provided with an opening at an end in a width direction of the sheet, and the blower blows the air from a downstream side to an upstream side in the feeding direction of the sheet after being reversed by the reversing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Inventor: Hideki Ohta
  • Publication number: 20210011405
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Terutaka Endo, Seiji Obata, Jiro Moriya, Takayuki Mizuta
  • Patent number: 10824102
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Terutaka Endo, Seiji Obata, Jiro Moriya, Takayuki Mizuta
  • Patent number: 10603926
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which at least part of an image scanner is disposed in an area below an original discharge unit and above an image forming unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Kazushi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20190332044
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Terutaka Endo, Seiji Obata, Jiro Moriya, Takayuki Mizuta
  • Patent number: 10386761
    Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Terutaka Endo, Seiji Obata, Jiro Moriya, Takayuki Mizuta
  • Publication number: 20190171153
    Abstract: A sensor unit is at least partially disposed in a region below an upper end of a reversing roller, above a lower end of a second rotary member, and outside a duplex conveying path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Kazushi Suzuki, Yoshitaka Zaitsu
  • Publication number: 20180282100
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance device includes first and second discharge portions to discharge sheets, first and second stacking portions on which sheets are to be stacked, and a control unit to control the second stacking portion to move between a first position and a second position. The first position is that a downstream side of the second stacking portion is positioned and inclined upwardly with respect to an upstream side of the second stacking portion in a sheet conveyance direction of the sheets discharged from the second discharge portion. The second position is that the downstream side of the second stacking portion is positioned on a lower side of the first position of the downstream side of the second stacking portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Emi Machii, Tamotsu Kaneko, Kazushi Suzuki, Hideki Ohta
  • Publication number: 20180281430
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which at least part of an image scanner is disposed in an area below an original discharge unit and above an image forming unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Hideki Ohta, Kazushi Suzuki