Patents by Inventor Hiroki Kotaka

Hiroki Kotaka 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).

  • Sheet conveyor
    Patent number: 10666824
    Abstract: A sheet conveyor includes a feed roller configured to contact a sheet from above and feed the sheet in a sheet feed direction, a frictional member disposed downstream from the feed roller, a separation roller disposed downstream from the feed roller and facing the frictional member from above, and a guide portion located downstream from the feed roller and upstream from the separation roller. The guide portion includes a pointed portion located above a portion of a common tangent to the feed roller and the separation roller when viewed in a cross section that is orthogonal to an axial direction of the feed roller and an axial direction of the separation roller. The pointed portion is located along a width direction of the sheet. The guide portion is configured to guide the sheet fed over the pointed portion toward a nip between the separation roller and the frictional member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kakeru Hayashi, Hiroki Kotaka
  • Sheet Conveyor
    Publication number: 20190306354
    Abstract: A sheet conveyor includes a feed roller configured to contact a sheet from above and feed the sheet in a sheet feed direction, a frictional member disposed downstream from the feed roller, a separation roller disposed downstream from the feed roller and facing the frictional member from above, and a guide portion located downstream from the feed roller and upstream from the separation roller. The guide portion includes a pointed portion located above a portion of a common tangent to the feed roller and the separation roller when viewed in a cross section that is orthogonal to an axial direction of the feed roller and an axial direction of the separation roller. The pointed portion is located along a width direction of the sheet. The guide portion is configured to guide the sheet fed over the pointed portion toward a nip between the separation roller and the frictional member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Kakeru Hayashi, Hiroki Kotaka