Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Kera

Hiroshi Kera 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: 6904255
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a color image forming device for forming toner images of a plurality of colors on a medium, and is for improving second transfer efficiency from an intermediate transfer body to the medium. The device has image forming units (12-1 to 12-4) for forming the toner images of the plurality of colors on at least one image bearing body (14-1 to 14-4) by a plurality of developing units (22-1 to 22-4) respectively accommodating toner of different colors; an intermediate transfer body (24); primary transfer means (38-1 to 38-4) for primary transferring the toner images of the plurality of colors onto the intermediate transfer body sequentially for the respective colors; and secondary transfer means (45) for secondary transferring the toner images of the plurality of colors on the intermediate transfer body onto the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kera, Atsushi Tano, Hiroki Ohta, Tsuneo Mizuno
  • Publication number: 20040136758
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a color image forming device for forming toner images of a plurality of colors on a medium, and is for improving second transfer efficiency from an intermediate transfer body to the medium. The device has image forming units (12-1 to 12-4) for forming the toner images of the plurality of colors on at least one image bearing body (14-1 to 14-4) by a plurality of developing units (22-1 to 22-4) respectively accommodating toner of different colors; an intermediate transfer body (24); primary transfer means (38-1 to 38-4) for primary transferring the toner images of the plurality of colors onto the intermediate transfer body sequentially for the respective colors; and secondary transfer means (45) for secondary transferring the toner images of the plurality of colors on the intermediate transfer body onto the medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kera, Atsushi Tano, Hiroki Ohta, Tsuneo Mizuno
  • Patent number: 6128463
    Abstract: An image forming device includes an image forming part which forms an image on a recording medium; a recording medium switchback portion which receives the recording medium on a first run, one side of which has been printed when passing the image forming part, and sends the recording medium for a second run; a recording medium path which communicates with the recording medium switchback portion so as to send the recording medium to and from the recording medium switchback portion; an inverted recording medium transfer path through which the recording medium is sent to the image forming part again with an upper surface and a lower surface of the recording medium reversed; and a recording medium transfer part which transfers the recording medium along the inverted recording medium transfer path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Yoshiya Matsumoto, Shigeo Nonoyama, Tetsuya Takei, Nobuo Kuwabara, Hiroshi Kera, Takefumi Takahashi, Yoshio Yamaguchi, Akira Nagahara
  • Patent number: 5852757
    Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a toner circulating mechanism for recovering a residual toner scraped from a photosensitive drum to a developing device. The developing device includes a housing for defining a toner chamber, a developing roller rotatably mounted in the housing, an agitator rotatably mounted in the housing and provided in the toner chamber, and a partition member mounted to the housing to define a carrier chamber between the partition member and the developing roller. The toner circulating mechanism directly returns the residual toner scraped from the photosensitive drum to the toner chamber in the developing device. The toner chamber may contain a foreign matter removing device. The partition member may have various shapes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Toshio Tooda, Yoshio Yamaguchi, Nobuo Kuwabara, Mituru Sato, Haruyasu Watanabe, Akira Nagahara, Sachio Sasaki, Yoshiya Ishiyama, Hiroshi Kera, Masanori Nishido, Hisashi Hanzawa
  • Patent number: 5848343
    Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an electrostatic latent image carrying body, an electrifying unit for electrifying the image carrying body, a light irradiating unit to form an electrostatic latent image in accordance to image information, a developing unit for discharging toner to the image carrying body to develop the latent image, a transfer unit for transferring the toner image to a recording sheet, and a cleaner for removing residual toner on the image carrying body. The toner removed from the image carrying body is recirculated to the developer receiving box. An additional toner image is formed on a position other than a first position where the electrostatic latent image is formed in accordance with the image information. The toner is removed by the cleaner without being transferred to the recording sheet and recirculated from the image carrying body to the developer receiving box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Takefumi Takahashi, Shizuo Takano, Yoshio Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Kera, Akira Nagahara, Yoshiya Ishiyama, Hideki Kamaji, Toshio Tooda
  • Patent number: 5530528
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum with a one-component toner, consisting of an endless latent image carrier; an image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a developing unit, for causing the developing roller to contact the image carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a mechanism for driving the developing unit; a toner sensor for detecting the presence/absence of the toner in the developing unit; and an abutting/detaching mechanism for abutting or detaching the developing roller of the developing unit on or from the image carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1996
    Assignees: Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Isotec Limited
    Inventors: Yoji Houki, Makoto Matsuoka, Takeo Kojima, Akira Takahashi, Mitsuhito Furukawa, Hiroshi Kera
  • Patent number: 5164773
    Abstract: A developing device using a one-component developer composed of toner particles includes a developing roller rotatably provided within the vessel, a portion of the developing roller being exposed therefrom and resiliently pressed against a surface of a photosensitive drum. The toner particles are entrained by the roller surface to form a developer layer therearound and are carried to the drum surface for the development of an electrostatic latent image formed thereon, and a blade member is engaged with the roller for regulating a thickness of the developer layer. A voltage is supplied to the roller to electrostatically move the toner particles from the roller to the latent image, and a voltage is applied to the blade member to inject an electrical charge to the developer layer. When an operation of the device is started, a supply of the voltages to the roller and blade member is carried out after the roller is rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Yukio Nishio, Hiroshi Kera, Yoshihiro Tonomoto, Kazunori Hirose