Patents by Inventor Hiroshige Araki
Hiroshige Araki 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: 6431362Abstract: An object of the invention is to transport safely and reliably a unit such as a developing cartridge in which toner is used, and toner, and to reduce the dimensions and cost of an apparatus for packaging such a unit. Two buffer members are fixed to two opposite widthwise end sides of a developing cartridge, and the resultant combination is accommodated in a packaging box. Each buffer member has a hollow structure formed by blow molding a thermoplastic resin material. The toner is inserted into the interior of each buffer member from an opening thereof, and the buffer members and a non-toner-charged developing cartridge can be packaged together and transported. When the toner in each buffer member is supplied via the opening thereof to the interior of the developing cartridge after the transportation of these parts is completed, a structure in the developing cartridge for preventing the coagulation and leakage of the toner being transported can be simplified, and cost reduction can be effected.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2000Date of Patent: August 13, 2002Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroshige Araki, Toshihide Ohgoshi, Shigeyuki Wakada, Yoshinori Otsuka, Eiichi Kido
-
Patent number: 6415126Abstract: A toner reserve container provided with a toner replenishing roller and a replenishing port which constitute a toner replenishing portion is arranged adjacent to a developing hopper and is provided with a toner conveying unit. The conveying unit includes an agitator rotated about a rotary shaft and a conveying sheet fixed to the agitator and scooping up and conveying toner to the toner replenishing roller. The conveying sheet has a plurality of slits formed close to the end portion where it is fixed to the agitator and extending in the direction from the end portion to the tip end of the conveying sheet. When the conveying sheet is rotated and deformed, the plurality of slits absorb rotational load to keep toner conveyed by the conveying sheet stable for a long period of time.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2001Date of Patent: July 2, 2002Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masatoshi Kaneshige, Yasuyuki Ishiguro, Toshio Nishino, Tsutomu Nagata, Hiroshige Araki, Yoshinori Otsuka
-
Patent number: 6385422Abstract: A developing unit includes a developing hopper, a toner reserve container that incorporates a replenishing roller and a replenishing port forming a toner replenishing portion, arranged adjacent to the developing hopper in order to supply the toner to the developing hopper. The toner reserve container further includes an agitator rotatable about a rotary shaft and a conveying sheet attached to the agitator for conveying the toner to the replenishing roller. The conveying sheet has a bent portion where the conveying sheet is bent in the rotational direction of the agitator at a halfway point thereof with a predetermined angle &agr;. Deformation of the conveying sheet during rotation is absorbed around the position of the bent portion, so that the conveying sheet will not be plastically deformed at the attached part of the conveying sheet joined to the attachment edge of the agitator, whereby long stable toner conveyance by the conveying sheet can be maintained.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2000Date of Patent: May 7, 2002Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yasuyuki Ishiguro, Tsutomu Nagata, Masatoshi Kaneshige, Toshio Nishino, Hiroshi Tanisawa, Jun Yamaguchi, Yoshinori Otsuka, Hiroshige Araki
-
Publication number: 20010008591Abstract: A toner reserve container provided with a toner replenishing roller and a replenishing port which constitute a toner replenishing portion is arranged adjacent to a developing hopper and is provided with a toner conveying unit including an agitator rotated about a rotary shaft and a conveying sheet fixed to the agitator and scooping up and conveying a toner to the toner replenishing roller. The conveying sheet has a plurality of slits formed close to the end portion where it is fixed to the agitator and extending in the direction from the end portion to the tip end of the conveying sheet. When the conveying sheet is rotated and deformed, the plurality of slits absorb rotational load to keep stable toner conveyance by the conveying sheet for a long time.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2001Publication date: July 19, 2001Inventors: Masatoshi Kaneshige, Yasuyuki Ishiguro, Toshio Nishino, Tsutomu Nagata, Hiroshige Araki, Yoshinori Otsuka
-
Patent number: 6094550Abstract: An electrophotography developing apparatus has been developed which can protect a developer holder and a layer thickness control member from damage. The device also prevents internal scattering of the developer while preventing a surplus supply of the developer to both ends on the peripheral surface of the developer holder. The unique advantages of the invention are derived through the utilization of sealing members having different elastic properties, which assume both bulk removal of excess developer while providing the needed uniform developer thickness. Another embodiment of the invention has the width of the layer thickness control member in a longitudinal direction set wider than the width of the developer holder in a longitudinal direction, and both side edges of the layer thickness control member are positioned outside both side edges of the developer holder.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 1998Date of Patent: July 25, 2000Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Eiichi Kido, Shigeyuki Wakada, Toshihide Ohgoshi, Yoshinori Ohtsuka, Hiroshige Araki, Yasuo Imai, Hiroshi Ishii, Yuhi Yui
-
Patent number: 5640651Abstract: A developer cartridge for image forming apparatuses which performs development to form images with non-magnetic, one-component type developer. The cartridge includes a developing roller for supplying developer to a photoconductor drum, a developer feed roller in non-contact with the developing roller for supply developer to the developing roller, and a developer-layer thickness control member for controlling the thickness of the developer layer on the developing roller. The developer feed roller is shaped as a regular polygonal prism. Since no recesses are formed in the surface of the regular polygonal prism, driving torque does not increase when developer is scrubbed from the prism, thus ensuring consistent operation and improved image quality. Non-magnetic, one-component type developer is compressed onto the developing roller by supplying the developer via the developer feed roller into a bottleneck between the developing roller and a developer applying member.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 1995Date of Patent: June 17, 1997Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keiji Katoh, Hiroshige Araki, Yasuo Imai, Shigeyuki Wakada, Eiichi Kido, Toshihiro Ota, Yuhi Yui
-
Patent number: 5436431Abstract: A toner image fixing device comprises a heat roller and a lamp heater. The lamp heater is formed from a nicrome wire stretched between clamp terminals, a silica tube and ceramic holders closely fitted to respective ends of the silica tube and which have an external diameter which is substantially the same as the diameter of the heating roller. The lamp heater is secured by a lamp holder and frame to the shaft of the heat roller. The heat roller is rotatably supported by a bearing and is driven by a driving gear.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 1994Date of Patent: July 25, 1995Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masaru Tsuji, Hiroshige Araki, Hideki Gotoh, Yoshikazu Kondoh, Atsuyuki Kato, Yoshinobu Tateishi, Yuhi Akagawa, Mitsuyoshi Terada, Takashi Sugito, Toshihide Ohgoshi, Naoyuki Yamane
-
Patent number: D451127Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2001Date of Patent: November 27, 2001Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keiji Katou, Hiroshi Kubota, Yoshinori Otsuka, Yoshiki Ichikawa, Hiroshige Araki, Fumito Mizoguchi
-
Patent number: D394450Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 1995Date of Patent: May 19, 1998Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keiji Katoh, Hiroshige Araki, Yasuo Imai