Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Tomiyasu

Hiroaki Tomiyasu 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: 10180658
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a detecting unit, a fan, cleaning unit, and a controller. The developing unit develops a latent image with a developer. The transfer unit transfers a developer image onto a sheet. The detecting unit detects a temperature outside the apparatus. The fan takes outside air into the apparatus. The cleaning unit collects toner supplied onto the photoconductor. The controller determines whether dew condensation has occurred. If the controller determines that dew condensation has occurred, the controller executes a first dew condensation recovery operation for rotating the fan, and when an image forming job is input, the controller executes a second dew condensation recovery operation, in addition to the first dew condensation recovery operation, the second dew condensation recovery operation comprising supplying toner to the photoconductor and collecting the toner, before executing the image forming job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroaki Tomiyasu
  • Publication number: 20180157211
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a detecting unit, a fan, cleaning unit, and a controller. The developing unit develops a latent image with a developer. The transfer unit transfers a developer image onto a sheet. The detecting unit detects a temperature outside the apparatus. The fan takes outside air into the apparatus. The cleaning unit collects toner supplied onto the photoconductor. The controller determines whether dew condensation has occurred. If the controller determines that dew condensation has occurred, the controller executes a first dew condensation recovery operation for rotating the fan, and when an image forming job is input, the controller executes a second dew condensation recovery operation, in addition to the first dew condensation recovery operation, the second dew condensation recovery operation comprising supplying toner to the photoconductor and collecting the toner, before executing the image forming job.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Inventor: Hiroaki Tomiyasu
  • Patent number: 8620193
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which performs toner discharge control for held toners of respective colors, comprises: an image carrier; a transfer member on which toner images of the respective colors formed on the image carrier are transferred and superposed; a calculation unit configured to calculate toner amounts used to form the toner images of the respective colors; and a control unit configured to superpose toners of at least two colors onto the transfer member when the toner amounts calculated by the calculation unit are smaller than a predetermined consumption amount, wherein the control unit decides a combination of colors of the toners to be superposed in accordance with differences between the toner amounts and the predetermined consumption amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Yamamoto, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Shinnosuke Iwadate, Takahiko Yamaoka, Hiromi Shimura
  • Patent number: 8553248
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus accumulates the number of input print jobs when a control circuit of the image forming apparatus recognizes that, during the execution of the first print job having a sheet post-processing setting, a subsequent new print job having no sheet post-processing settings is input. If the accumulated number of input print jobs is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the image forming apparatus allows the interruption of the first print job by the subsequent new job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigemi Kumagai, Yasuo Fukatsu, Ichiro Sasaki, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Shunsuke Nishimura, Yuzuru Yano
  • Patent number: 8493631
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having improved installability and operability. The image forming apparatus has an operation unit thereof disposed on an arm extending from the apparatus and pivotable around a support member in substantially the horizontal direction, and has sensors for detecting the pivot position of the operation unit. An initial-screen setting screen determined based on the pivot position of the operation unit detected by the sensors is displayed on the operation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Takata, Takashi Fujimori, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Yuichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8478184
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit configured to transfer a toner image based on image data onto a recording medium, a fixing device configured to thermally fix the toner image transferred onto the recording medium, a stack tray configured to stack a recording medium conveyed from the fixing device, and a controller configured to calculate based on the image data an amount of a toner on a top surface of the recording media stacked on the stack tray and an amount of a toner on a bottom surface of the recording media to be subsequently conveyed and discharged onto the stack tray and to control a recording medium discharge interval based on a result of calculating the amounts of the toners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryo Hanashi, Masahiro Komoto, Hiroaki Tomiyasu
  • Publication number: 20120134715
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which performs toner discharge control for held toners of respective colors, comprises: an image carrier; a transfer member on which toner images of the respective colors formed on the image carrier are transferred and superposed; a calculation unit configured to calculate toner amounts used to form the toner images of the respective colors; and a control unit configured to superpose toners of at least two colors onto the transfer member when the toner amounts calculated by the calculation unit are smaller than a predetermined consumption amount, wherein the control unit decides a combination of colors of the toners to be superposed in accordance with differences between the toner amounts and the predetermined consumption amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichi Yamamoto, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Shinnosuke Iwadate, Takahiko Yamaoka, Hiromi Shimura
  • Patent number: 8032044
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of preventing toner fusion between recording sheets, with a construction that does not require increase in cost and size of the apparatus and does not unduly lower productivity, to thereby offer high usability. For image formation on plural pieces of recording sheets, a CPU controls a recording sheet conveyance interval for a first set based on a detected amount of toner used for the image formation on each page, stores the toner use amounts for respective pages of the first set into a RAM, and controls the recording sheet conveyance interval for second and subsequent sets based on the toner use amount stored in the RAM for each page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Ryo Hanashi, Masahiro Komoto
  • Patent number: 8027602
    Abstract: A belt feeding apparatus includes an endless belt and a supporting member for rotatably supporting the belt. The belt feeding apparatus further includes a setting member for setting, when the belt is deviated from a widthwisely normal zone, an inclination angle of the supporting member to a return angle to return the belt toward the normal zone. The setting member also sets, when a predetermined time elapses from the belt returning to the normal zone, the inclination angle of the supporting member to a balance angle to keep the belt in the zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Kuroki, Hiroyuki Eda, Takashi Fujimori, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Hidenori Matsumoto, Junichi Endo, Hajime Kaji
  • Patent number: 7937011
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; toner image formation means for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; removing means for removing deposited matter deposited on the image bearing member; detecting means for detecting a toner image to be detected, formed on the toner image formation means; control means for controlling a toner image forming condition of the toner image forming means in accordance with a result of detection of the toner image to be detected by the detecting means; the apparatus being operable in a mode in which the removing means operates to remove the deposition, and the detecting means operates to detect the toner image to be detected, executing means for executing an operation in the mode; and an operating portion for manually starting execution of the operation in the mode by the executing means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Yamamoto, Eiichi Motoyama, Yoshihito Osari, Kuniyasu Kimura, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Takahiko Yamaoka, Jun Tomine, Yuichi Ikeda, Yasushi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 7890046
    Abstract: A punching apparatus having a punching member which effects punching on a sheet, and a driving mechanism which moves the punching member in a sheet width direction intersecting with a sheet conveying direction. On the basis of the difference between the position of a current sheet and the position of a next sheet succeeding thereto detected by a detecting sensor which detects the position of each conveyed sheet in the sheet width direction, at a position upstream of the punching member, the punching member is moved by the driving mechanism along the sheet width direction from a punching position for the current sheet to a punching position for the next sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takako Hanada, Tsuyoshi Moriyama, Akinobu Nishikata, Masayoshi Taira, Hiroaki Tomiyasu
  • Patent number: 7835685
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of reducing a part of a sheet exposed outside the apparatus on standby after finishing printing a first side in both-sided printing. A transfer material P having an image formed on its first side is fed until a part thereof gets exposed outside a full-color printer 1 and is fed to a refeeding path in the full-color printer 1. The transfer material P inverted by a flapper 44 is fed to a standby position to form an image on a second side thereof and is stopped there. In the case where a preparation for forming the image on the second side is not completed, the standby position for having the transfer material P stopped is changed corresponding to length of the inverted transfer material P in a feeding direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihito Osari, Eiichi Motoyama, Kuniyasu Kimura, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Takahiko Yamaoka, Yuichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7826762
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of preventing toner fusion between recording sheets to thereby offer high usability, with a construction that does not cause increase in cost and size of the apparatus and an undue reduction in productivity. In the image forming apparatus, a toner use amount in a partial region of an toner image transferred from an intermediate transfer belt to a recording sheet is detected. When it is determined that the toner use amount detected for the partial region is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, a recording sheet conveyance interval is widened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Ryo Hanashi, Masahiro Komoto
  • Patent number: 7761045
    Abstract: A belt feeding apparatus includes an endless belt; a supporting member for rotatably supporting said belt; and setting means for setting, when said belt is deviated from a widthwisely normal zone, an inclination angle of said supporting member to a returning angle to return said belt toward the normal zone, and for setting, when said belt is in the normal zone, the inclination angle of said supporting member to a balance angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Fujimori, Kenji Kuroki, Hiroyuki Eda, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Hijame Kaji, Junichi Endo, Hidenori Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 7693431
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which is capable of performing a failsafe image forming operation even when a memory device of a replaceable unit mounted thereon is faulty. A controller of the image forming apparatus determines whether or not a memory tag of a toner cartridge is faulty. If the memory tag is determined to be faulty, the controller causes image adjustment to be executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Eda, Kenji Kuroki, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Takashi Fujimori, Eiichi Motoyama
  • Publication number: 20100074645
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; toner image formation means for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; removing means for removing deposited matter deposited on the image bearing member; detecting means for detecting a toner image to be detected, formed on the toner image formation means; control means for controlling a toner image forming condition of the toner image forming means in accordance with a result of detection of the toner image to be detected by the detecting means; the apparatus being operable in a mode in which the removing means operates to remove the deposition, and the detecting means operates to detect the toner image to be detected, executing means for executing an operation in the mode; and an operating portion for manually starting execution of the operation in the mode by the executing means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichi YAMAMOTO, Eiichi MOTOYAMA, Yoshihito OSARI, Kuniyasu KIMURA, Hiroaki TOMIYASU, Takahiko YAMAOKA, Jun TOMINE, Yuichi IKEDA, Yasushi TAKEUCHI
  • Patent number: 7650094
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; toner image formation means for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; removing means for removing deposited matter deposited on the image bearing member; detecting means for detecting a toner image to be detected, formed on the toner image formation means; control means for controlling a toner image forming condition of the toner image forming means in accordance with a result of detection of the toner image to be detected by the detecting means; the apparatus being operable in a mode in which the removing means operates to remove the deposition, and the detecting means operates to detect the toner image to be detected, executing means for executing an operation in the mode; and an operating portion for manually starting execution of the operation in the mode by the executing means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Yamamoto, Eiichi Motoyama, Yoshihito Osari, Kuniyasu Kimura, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Takahiko Yamaoka, Jun Tomine, Yuichi Ikeda, Yasushi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 7580646
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is capable of normally performing second side printing on a transfer material, even if the transfer material put on standby after completion of first side printing is pulled out by a user. A transfer material having image formed on its first side is fed until it is partly exposed to the outside of a printer, and is then fed to a refeeding path in the printer and further fed to a standby position prior to image formation on the second side of the transfer material. When it is detected that the transfer material caused to stop at the standby position is pulled out by a user, a warning to stop pulling out the transfer material is given to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichi Motoyama, Yoshihito Osari, Kuniyasu Kimura, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Takahiko Yamaoka, Yuichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7522873
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus body and a peripheral unit operable to transport a recording medium. The image forming apparatus includes a communication device for communicating with the peripheral unit and a controller for controlling transporting the recording medium by the peripheral unit using a communication by the communication device. The controller sets a plurality of transport speeds, each of which corresponds to a predetermined identification code, to the peripheral unit and specifies the transport speed by using the predetermined identification code to the peripheral unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichi Motoyama, Kuniyasu Kimura, Hiroaki Tomiyasu, Yuichi Yamamoto, Takahiko Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 7520497
    Abstract: The invention comprises registration roller pairs which detect a skew amount of a sheet being conveyed; registration roller pairs which perform skew correction of the sheet while the sheet is being conveyed; a punch unit which performs punching of the sheet; a punch-unit driving portion which drives the punch unit; a sheet-edge detecting sensor which performs detection of a sheet edge in a direction intersecting with a sheet conveyance direction; a punch-unit moving device which moves the punch unit in the direction intersecting with the sheet conveyance direction; a sheet detecting sensor which performs detection of a sheet position in the sheet conveyance direction; and a controller portion which performs control such that after skew of the sheet is corrected by the registration roller pairs in accordance with detection results of skew amount sensors, and punching is performed on the sheet by the punch-unit moving device and the punch driving portion in accordance with a detection result of the sheet detect
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Moriyama, Takako Hanada, Masayoshi Taira, Akinobu Nishikata, Hiroaki Tomiyasu