Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Akamatsu

Hiroaki Akamatsu 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: 20240027940
    Abstract: A belt rotating device includes: an endless belt to be rotated; a projection provided at an axial end portion of an inner peripheral surface of the endless belt and extending in a peripheral direction of the endless belt; a first roll around which the endless belt is wrapped, the first roll being configured to limit an axial movement of the endless belt by coming into contact with the projection; and a second roll including a large-diameter portion, a small-diameter portion, and a transition portion, the small-diameter portion being located on an axially outer side relative to the large-diameter portion and having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter portion, the transition portion having an outside diameter that decreases from the large-diameter portion to the small-diameter portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Hiroaki AKAMATSU, Kazuya NISHIMURA, Kazuya YASUI
  • Patent number: 11175609
    Abstract: A belt rotating device includes a belt wound around plural rollers to circulate and move, the plural rollers including a roller to be cleaned; and a first cleaning unit disposed inside the belt, the first cleaning unit being in contact with at least the roller to be cleaned to scrape off foreign matter on the roller to be cleaned, the first cleaning unit being configured to change a contact state with respect to the roller to be cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Akamatsu, Hideyuki Otani, Kazuya Yasui
  • Publication number: 20200124888
    Abstract: A liquid crystal panel includes a first substrate including pixel electrodes and a common electrode overlapping the pixel electrodes, a second substrate opposed to the first substrate and including a light-blocking portion, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a sealing member joining the first substrate and the second substrate together and surrounding the liquid crystal layer to seal the liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate. The common electrode has a portion protruding outwardly from a display area of the liquid crystal panel and overlapping at least a portion of the light-blocking portion, and the sealing member is conductive and joins the first substrate and the second substrate together to allow the common electrode and the light-blocking portion to be electrically connected to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventor: HIROAKI AKAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20170205758
    Abstract: A cleaning member includes a contact portion and a supported portion. The contact portion is in contact with an image carrier provided with a protective layer containing an inorganic material on a front surface thereof. The contact portion has a hardness of rubber equal to or greater than 85 degrees. The supported portion includes the contact portion and is supported so that the contact portion is in contact with the image carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki AKAMATSU, Masaki HIRAKATA
  • Patent number: 9541886
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member having an inorganic protective layer on a surface thereof, a cleaning blade having an inclined surface cut out at a corner portion on a side of the image bearing member, and a support portion that supports the cleaning blade so that the inclined surface is in contact with the image bearing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Akamatsu, Masaki Hirakata, Tsutomu Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 9519258
    Abstract: An image forming unit includes an image carrying body, a plate-shaped cleaning member, and a powder of a fatty acid metal salt. The image carrying body is configured to be rotatable and carries an image formed on a surface thereof with a toner. The plate-shaped cleaning member includes a tip portion which is pressed against the surface and which scrapes a material adhering onto the surface in response to rotation of the image carrying body. The powder of the fatty acid metal salt is applied to at least one of the tip portion and the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Akamatsu
  • Publication number: 20160266536
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member having an inorganic protective layer on a surface thereof, a cleaning blade having an inclined surface cut out at a corner portion on a side of the image bearing member, and a support portion that supports the cleaning blade so that the inclined surface is in contact with the image bearing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki AKAMATSU, Masaki HIRAKATA, Tsutomu SUGIMOTO
  • Patent number: 9195203
    Abstract: A cleaning member includes a body and an edge. The body has rubber hardness of about 68 to 75 degrees and is fixed to a support member at one end of the body. The body has a plate-like shape in which a corner portion of the body is missing. The edge is provided at the corner portion and fits into it. The edge is in contact with a subject to be cleaned and has a thickness of about 0.1 to 1 mm. The cleaning member satisfies the following conditions: 80?y?90; y??40x+95; and y??40x+110 where x denotes a ratio of a length of the edge in a predetermined direction to a length of a portion of the body which is not fixed to the support member in the predetermined direction, and y denotes rubber hardness of the edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Akamatsu, Noriaki Kojima
  • Patent number: 9164466
    Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a portion which comes in contact with a member to be cleaned, and the portion is configured of a member containing polyurethane rubber having a structure derived from polyester polyol in which a first diol component having 10 or more carbon atoms and a second diol component having 5 or less carbon atoms are condensed with dicarboxylic acid at a molar ratio (first diol component/second diol component) of 50/50 to 80/20, a structure derived from polyisocyanate, and a structure derived from a triol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke Tano, Yu Nakamura, Masato Ono, Noriaki Kojima, Tsutomu Sugimoto, Hiroaki Akamatsu, Yoshinori Takahashi, Kei Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20150277342
    Abstract: A cleaning member includes a body and an edge. The body has rubber hardness of about 68 to 75 degrees and is fixed to a support member at one end of the body. The body has a plate-like shape in which a corner portion of the body is missing. The edge is provided at the corner portion and fits into it. The edge is in contact with a subject to be cleaned and has a thickness of about 0.1 to 1 mm. The cleaning member satisfies the following conditions: 80?y?90; y??40x+95; and y??40x+110 where x denotes a ratio of a length of the edge in a predetermined direction to a length of a portion of the body which is not fixed to the support member in the predetermined direction, and y denotes rubber hardness of the edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki AKAMATSU, Noriaki KOJIMA
  • Publication number: 20150177674
    Abstract: A cleaning blade includes a portion which comes in contact with a member to be cleaned, and the portion is configured of a member containing polyurethane rubber having a structure derived from polyester polyol in which a first diol component having 10 or more carbon atoms and a second diol component having 5 or less carbon atoms are condensed with dicarboxylic acid at a molar ratio (first diol component/second diol component) of 50/50 to 80/20, a structure derived from polyisocyanate, and a structure derived from a triol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Publication date: June 25, 2015
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke TANO, Yu NAKAMURA, Masato ONO, Noriaki KOJIMA, Tsutomu SUGIMOTO, Hiroaki AKAMATSU, Yoshinori TAKAHASHI, Kei TANAKA
  • Patent number: 8805233
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a developer removing member with one long-side edge thereof coming into contact with an image carrier, a supporting member supporting the developer removing member such that the developer removing member extends beyond the supporting member on a side thereof having the one long-side edge, a developer collecting member having an opening for collecting developer residues and configured such that the one long-side edge of the developer removing member is positioned in a short-side central portion of the opening and portions defining one long-side edge and two short-side edges of the opening face a combination of the supporting member and the developer removing member, a sealing member provided between the combination and the portions defining the one long-side edge and the two short-side edges of the opening, and an adhesion preventing member interposed between the sealing member and the developer removing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Akamatsu
  • Patent number: 8792801
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a residual-toner accommodation housing having an opening facing toward a post-transfer area of a toner-image bearing member and surrounded by first and second edges and two connecting edges; a residual-toner removing member that overlies the first and connecting edges, has an edge protruding above the opening and abutting on the bearing member, and scrapes off toner from the bearing member toward the housing; a thermoplastic seal member intervening the housing and removing member, having terminal end portions extending along the connecting edges and protruding from the edge, and extending along the first and connecting edges to prevent the toner from leaking through a gap between the housing and removing member; and a sheet-like seal member that covers the second edge, is in contact with the bearing member, and intervenes the bearing member and terminal end portions to prevent the scraped-off toner from leaking from the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Akamatsu
  • Patent number: 8737852
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body, a developer recovery container, a detecting section, a power supply, a detection object part, a pair of wires, a conducting section, a drive section, and a determining section. The determining section determines the developer recovery container to have been used in a case where the developer is determined to be not present in the detection object part on the basis of information from the detecting section, and in a case where the developer is determined to be present in the detection object part, checks the information from the detecting section again after driving the drive section, and determines the recovery container to have not been used when the developer is determined to be not present in the detection object part and determines the recovery container to have been used when the developer is determined to be present in the detection object part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Taku Aoshima, Tadashi Kiyama, Toshie Nakamoto, Hiroaki Akamatsu
  • Publication number: 20130251394
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a developer removing member with one long-side edge thereof coming into contact with an image carrier, a supporting member supporting the developer removing member such that the developer removing member extends beyond the supporting member on a side thereof having the one long-side edge, a developer collecting member having an opening for collecting developer residues and configured such that the one long-side edge of the developer removing member is positioned in a short-side central portion of the opening and portions defining one long-side edge and two short-side edges of the opening face a combination of the supporting member and the developer removing member, a sealing member provided between the combination and the portions defining the one long-side edge and the two short-side edges of the opening, and an adhesion preventing member interposed between the sealing member and the developer removing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroaki AKAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20130164003
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body, a developer recovery container, a detecting section, a power supply, a detection object part, a pair of wires, a conducting section, a drive section, and a determining section. The determining section determines the developer recovery container to have been used in a case where the developer is determined to be not present in the detection object part on the basis of information from the detecting section, and in a case where the developer is determined to be present in the detection object part, checks the information from the detecting section again after driving the drive section, and determines the recovery container to have not been used when the developer is determined to be not present in the detection object part and determines the recovery container to have been used when the developer is determined to be present in the detection object part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taku AOSHIMA, Tadashi KIYAMA, Toshie NAKAMOTO, Hiroaki AKAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20130016993
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a residual-toner accommodation housing having an opening facing toward a post-transfer area of a toner-image bearing member and surrounded by first and second edges and two connecting edges; a residual-toner removing member that overlies the first and connecting edges, has an edge protruding above the opening and abutting on the bearing member, and scrapes off toner from the bearing member toward the housing; a thermoplastic seal member intervening the housing and removing member, having terminal end portions extending along the connecting edges and protruding from the edge, and extending along the first and connecting edges to prevent the toner from leaking through a gap between the housing and removing member; and a sheet-like seal member that covers the second edge, is in contact with the bearing member, and intervenes the bearing member and terminal end portions to prevent the scraped-off toner from leaking from the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Akamatsu
  • Patent number: 8306470
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade member that has a tip abutting a surface of an image carrier so as to remove a residue remaining on the surface of the image carrier; an attaching member that includes a first attachment piece to which a base end of the cleaning blade member is attached, and a second attachment piece which is provided so as to intersect the first attachment piece at a predetermined angle; a housing member to which one of the first attachment piece and the second attachment piece is fixed at both ends along a longitudinal direction thereof; and an external force exerting member that exerts an external force in a direction which intersects a surface of the other one of the first attachment piece and the second attachment piece, which is not fixed to the housing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Akamatsu, Makoto Sakanobe, Yuichi Fukuda, Ryosuke Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8023878
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade that contacts a surface of a member to be cleaned to remove a residue remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned, and that includes multiple layers, wherein a leading end portion of the cleaning blade shifts in a separating direction from the surface of the member to be cleaned due to a difference in thermal expansion property among the multiple layers when temperature rises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Fukuda, Noriaki Kojima, Makoto Sakanobe, Hiromi Nagai, Hiroaki Akamatsu, Masahiro Katahira
  • Patent number: 7873314
    Abstract: A cleaning member includes a cleaning part whose one end portion comes into contact with a surface of an image carrier, and a supporting part that supports the cleaning part and applies a force for pressing the one end portion of the cleaning part to the surface of the image carrier, wherein a surface of a first portion including the one end portion of the cleaning part is bonded to the supporting part with a first adhesive layer, and a surface of a second portion including the other end portion opposite to the one end portion of the cleaning part is bonded to the supporting part with a second adhesive layer having a Type-A durometer hardness which is lower than that of the first adhesive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Sakanobe, Hiroaki Akamatsu, Yuichi Fukuda, Ryosuke Takahashi