Patents by Inventor Hiromichi Koseki

Hiromichi Koseki 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: 20230418184
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a cleaning device detachably provided on a main assembly to clean toner remaining on the image bearing member, a main assembly feeding portion detachably provided on the main assembly to feed the toner discharged from the cleaning device, a collecting container detachably provided on the main assembly to collect the toner discharged from the main assembly feeding portion, a control portion, and an operating portion capable of inputting a predetermined instruction to the operating portion. Without an image forming operation based on the predetermined instruction, the control portion performs a discharging operation in which the main assembly feeding portion is caused to be driven to discharge the toner inside of the main assembly feeding portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2023
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Inventor: HIROMICHI KOSEKI
  • Patent number: 11835911
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an openable portion, an operating unit, a cable, an accommodating portion, a cable cover, a retaining portion, and an opening. When the cable cover is viewed along a vertical direction, an edge portion of the opening and an end portion of the cable are defined, specifically, the opening defines an edge portion of an edge of the opening on a side where the openable portion is positioned with respect to a left-right direction, and the cable defines an end portion of an outer peripheral surface of the cable retained by the retaining portion with respect to the left-right direction. With respect to the left-right direction, the edge portion is positioned further on a side opposite from the side where the openable portion is positioned than the end portion is.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Sato, Hiromichi Koseki
  • Publication number: 20220326650
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an openable portion, an operating unit, a cable, an accommodating portion, a cable cover, a retaining portion, and an opening. When the cable cover is viewed along a vertical direction, an edge portion of the opening and an end portion of the cable are defined, specifically, the opening defines an edge portion of an edge of the opening on a side where the openable portion is positioned with respect to a left-right direction, and the cable defines an end portion of an outer peripheral surface of the cable retained by the retaining portion with respect to the left-right direction. With respect to the left-right direction, the edge portion is positioned further on a side opposite from the side where the openable portion is positioned than the end portion is.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Osamu SATO, Hiromichi KOSEKI
  • Patent number: 11402789
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an openable portion, an operating unit, a cable, an accommodating portion, a cable cover, a retaining portion, and an opening. When the cable cover is viewed along a vertical direction, an edge portion of the opening and an end portion of the cable are defined, specifically, the opening defines an edge portion of an edge of the opening on a side where the openable portion is positioned with respect to a left-right direction, and the cable defines an end portion of an outer peripheral surface of the cable retained by the retaining portion with respect to the left-right direction. With respect to the left-right direction, the edge portion is positioned further on a side opposite from the side where the openable portion is positioned than the end portion is.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Sato, Hiromichi Koseki
  • Publication number: 20210302899
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an openable portion, an operating unit, a cable, an accommodating portion, a cable cover, a retaining portion, and an opening. When the cable cover is viewed along a vertical direction, an edge portion of an edge of the opening on a side where the openable portion is positioned with respect to a left-right direction is positioned on a side opposite from the side where the openable portion is positioned with respect to the left-right direction when an end portion, on the side where the openable portion is positioned, of an outer peripheral surface of the cable retained by the retaining portion with respect to the left-right direction is.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Osamu SATO, Hiromichi KOSEKI
  • Patent number: 10602010
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: a circuit board on which an electronic part and a connector are mounted; a housing to which the circuit board is attached; a flexible flat cable, having a connecting portion connected to the connector, configured to electrically connect the circuit board and another circuit board different from the circuit board provided in the image forming apparatus; and a holding member holding the flexible flat cable and rotatable integrally with the flexible flat cable with respect to the housing, wherein the holding member is rotatable with respect to the housing between a first position in which the connecting portion is connected to the connector and a second position in which the connecting portion is retracted from a fitting position of the circuit board in the housing in a state in which the connecting portion is removed from the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiromichi Koseki
  • Patent number: 10274895
    Abstract: An apparatus including a case that includes an electro conductive housing that accommodates a circuit board on which an electronic component is mounted and that includes a first opening for accommodating the circuit board, an electro conductive top plate that is disposed so as to cover the first opening and that includes a second opening, a HDD that is separated from the circuit board with the top plate and is connected to the circuit board, and a signal wire that connects the circuit board and the HDD to each other thorough the second opening. The apparatus includes an electro conductive cover to cover the HDD and the signal wire, and a duct portion formed between the electro conductive cover and the top plate and passes external air from below the HDD to the housing though the second opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiromichi Koseki
  • Publication number: 20190014224
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: a circuit board on which an electronic part and a connector are mounted; a housing to which the circuit board is attached; a flexible flat cable, having a connecting portion connected to the connector, configured to electrically connect the circuit board and another circuit board different from the circuit board provided in the image forming apparatus; and a holding member holding the flexible flat cable and rotatable integrally with the flexible flat cable with respect to the housing, wherein the holding member is rotatable with respect to the housing between a first position in which the connecting portion is connected to the connector and a second position in which the connecting portion is retracted from a fitting position of the circuit board in the housing in a state in which the connecting portion is removed from the connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventor: Hiromichi Koseki
  • Patent number: 10162300
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main assembly, a controller provided in the apparatus main assembly, an operating portion mounted to the apparatus main assembly, a cable configured to electrically connect the controller and the operating portion, the cable having a connectable length with the operating portion mounted at a predetermined position, and an accommodating portion provided in the apparatus main assembly and configured to accommodate an excessive length portion of the cable connected with the operating portion mounted to the apparatus main assembly, the accommodating portion including a space for accommodating the cable in a wound state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Tokumoto, Hiromichi Koseki
  • Publication number: 20170343952
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main assembly, a controller provided in the apparatus main assembly, an operating portion mounted to the apparatus main assembly, a cable configured to electrically connect the controller and the operating portion, the cable having a connectable length with the operating portion mounted at a predetermined position, and an accommodating portion provided in the apparatus main assembly and configured to accommodate an excessive length portion of the cable connected with the operating portion mounted to the apparatus main assembly, the accommodating portion including a space for accommodating the cable in a wound state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Masayuki Tokumoto, Hiromichi Koseki
  • Publication number: 20170131680
    Abstract: An apparatus including a case that includes an electro conductive housing that accommodates a circuit board on which an electronic component is mounted and that includes a first opening for accommodating the circuit board, an electro conductive top plate that is disposed so as to cover the first opening and that includes a second opening, a HDD that is separated from the circuit board with the top plate and is connected to the circuit board, and a signal wire that connects the circuit board and the HDD to each other thorough the second opening. The apparatus includes an electro conductive cover to cover the HDD and the signal wire, and a duct portion formed between the electro conductive cover and the top plate and passes external air from below the HDD to the housing though the second opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventor: Hiromichi Koseki
  • Patent number: 9632457
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that includes a collection container for collected toner, the collection container is not easily pushed back by a reaction force against a closing force of a shutter provided in a feeding portion for the collected toner. A spiral rib guides a contact rib to move the sealing shutter in a direction of opening a transfer opening against an urging force of a twisted coil spring in the process of connecting a collected toner box to a feeding pipe. A low reaction force area guides the contact rib after the spiral rib in the process of connecting the collected toner box to the feeding pipe. An inclination angle of the low reaction force area relative to the direction of connecting the collected toner box is less than an inclination angle of the spiral rib relative to the direction of connection of the collected toner box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiromichi Koseki, Dai Kanai, Takeshi Yasumoto
  • Publication number: 20160202636
    Abstract: To provide an image forming apparatus in which a collection container for collected toner is not easily pushed back by a reaction force against a closing force of said shutter provided in a feeding portion for the collected toner. A spiral rib 52b guides a contact rib 37e to move a sealing shutter 52 in a direction of opening a transfer opening 51a against an urging force of a twisted coil spring 53 in the process of connecting the collected toner box 30 to a feeding pipe. A low reaction force area 52c guides the contact rib 37e after the spiral rib 52b in the process of connecting the collected toner box 30 to the feeding pipe. An inclination angle of the low reaction force area 52c relative to the direction of connecting the collected toner box 30 is smaller than an inclination angle of the spiral rib 52b relative to the direction of connection of the collected toner box 30.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Inventors: Hiromichi Koseki, Dai Kanai, Takeshi Yasumoto
  • Patent number: 9348298
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier; an image forming unit configured to form a toner image on the image carrier by using toner, based on image information; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image formed on the image carrier to a sheet; a cleaning unit configured to clean toner on the image carrier; a collected toner box in which the toner cleaned by the cleaning unit is collected; a rotating member configured to be rotated for moving the toner in the collected toner box; and a controller configured to control, based on the image information, whether or not to rotate the rotating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Matsumoto, Shinichi Takata, Yushi Oka, Ryou Sakaguchi, Kentaro Tamura, Hiromichi Koseki
  • Patent number: 9261850
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a collecting container; connecting portions; shutters; first urging members for urging the shutters; a movable member which is accommodated toward the collecting container by contact with the main assembly when the collecting container is mounted in a mounting portion and which is projected outwardly from a side portion of the collecting container when the collecting container is dismounted from the mounting position; and a second urging member for urging the movable member. When the collecting container is mounted in the main assembly, the first urging members and the second urging member are provided so that a sum of rotation moment acting on the collecting container by the first urging members and rotation moment acting on the collecting container by the second urging member are directed opposite to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiromichi Koseki
  • Publication number: 20150277346
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier; an image forming unit configured to form a toner image on the image carrier by using toner, based on image information; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image formed on the image carrier to a sheet; a cleaning unit configured to clean toner on the image carrier; a collected toner box in which the toner cleaned by the cleaning unit is collected; a rotating member configured to be rotated for moving the toner in the collected toner box; and a controller configured to control, based on the image information, whether or not to rotate the rotating member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Hiroshi Matsumoto, Shinichi Takata, Yushi Oka, Ryou Sakaguchi, Kentaro Tamura, Hiromichi Koseki
  • Publication number: 20150086256
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a collecting container; connecting portions; the shutters; first urging members for urging the shutters; a movable member which is accommodated toward the collecting container by contact with the main assembly when the collecting container is mounted in a mounting portion and which is projected outwardly than a side portion of the collecting container when the collecting container is dismounted from the mounting position; and a second urging member for urging the movable member. When the collecting container is mounted in the main assembly, the first urging members and the second urging member are provided so that a sum of rotation moment acting on the collecting container by the first urging members, and rotation moment acting on the collecting container by the second urging member are directed opposite to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventor: Hiromichi Koseki