Patents by Inventor Hirotoshi Kakuda
Hirotoshi Kakuda 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).
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Publication number: 20240043231Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a pair of conveyance rollers including a first roller and a second roller facing the first roller on an upward side of the first roller, to convey a medium between the first roller and the second roller, and a pair of guides including a lower guide located on an upstream side of the pair of conveyance rollers in a medium conveying direction and an upper guide facing the lower guide, to guide the medium to the pair of conveyance rollers. The upper guide is movably located upwardly according to a conveyance of the medium and the lower guide is movably located downwardly according to the conveyance of the medium so that a space between the pair of guides is changed according to the medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2023Publication date: February 8, 2024Inventors: Kiichiro Shimosaka, Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Patent number: 11827482Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a pair of conveyance rollers including a first roller and a second roller facing the first roller on an upward side of the first roller, to convey a medium between the first roller and the second roller, and a pair of guides including a lower guide located on an upstream side of the pair of conveyance rollers in a medium conveying direction and an upper guide facing the lower guide, to guide the medium to the pair of conveyance rollers. The upper guide is movably located upwardly according to a conveyance of the medium and the lower guide is movably located downwardly according to the conveyance of the medium so that a space between the pair of guides is changed according to the medium.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2020Date of Patent: November 28, 2023Assignee: PFU LIMITEDInventors: Kiichiro Shimosaka, Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Patent number: 11623831Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a moving mechanism to move the set guide, a guide pair including a first guide having a first opening and a second opening, and a second guide to regulate a vertical direction of the medium conveyance path, a light emitting element and a light receiving element located on an outside of the medium conveyance path with the first guide in between, and on the downstream side of the first opening and the second opening so as to be apart from the moving mechanism by a predetermined distance or more in the medium conveying direction, a first light guide which is bent so as to guide a light emitted from the light emitting element to the first opening, and a second light guide which is bent so as to guide the light incident from the second opening to the light receiving element.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2021Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: PFU LIMITEDInventors: Itsuki Oishi, Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Publication number: 20230059480Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, a first unit, a second unit located to face the first unit, an imaging sensor provided in the first unit, to image the medium conveyed by the conveying roller, a reference member including a facing surface, and provided in the second unit in such a way that the facing surface is rotatable between a facing position at which the facing surface faces the imaging sensor, and a non-facing position at which the facing surface deviates from the facing position, a guide portion to slidably guide the second unit in a direction perpendicular to a medium conveying surface so that the second unit moves in the direction perpendicular to the medium conveying surface, and a support portion to rotatably support the reference member. The support portion is located inside the guide portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 15, 2022Publication date: February 23, 2023Inventor: Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Publication number: 20220169465Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a moving mechanism to move the set guide, a guide pair including a first guide having a first opening and a second opening, and a second guide to regulate a vertical direction of the medium conveyance path, a light emitting element and a light receiving element located on an outside of the medium conveyance path with the first guide in between, and on the downstream side of the first opening and the second opening so as to be apart from the moving mechanism by a predetermined distance or more in the medium conveying direction, a first light guide which is bent so as to guide a light emitted from the light emitting element to the first opening, and a second light guide which is bent so as to guide the light incident from the second opening to the light receiving element.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2021Publication date: June 2, 2022Inventors: Itsuki Oishi, Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Patent number: 11261044Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes an imaging device to image a medium and configured to move in a moving direction, a roller configured to move in the moving direction, on an upstream side of the imaging device, a conveyance guide provided with the imaging device to move the imaging device, wherein the conveyance guide includes a slope for coming into contact with the medium, an engaging member provided with the imaging device to move the imaging device, and a moving member to move the imaging device by engaging with the engaging member in conjunction with a movement of the roller. The engaging member and the moving member are configured to be separated at a distance from one another when the medium is not conveyed. The moving member moves the imaging device by engaging with the engaging member only when the medium has a thickness greater than the distance.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2019Date of Patent: March 1, 2022Assignee: PFU LIMITEDInventors: Yuki Takato, Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Publication number: 20210188579Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a pair of conveyance rollers including a first roller and a second roller facing the first roller on an upward side of the first roller, to convey a medium between the first roller and the second roller, and a pair of guides including a lower guide located on an upstream side of the pair of conveyance rollers in a medium conveying direction and an upper guide facing the lower guide, to guide the medium to the pair of conveyance rollers. The upper guide is movably located upwardly according to a conveyance of the medium and the lower guide is movably located downwardly according to the conveyance of the medium so that a space between the pair of guides is changed according to the medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2020Publication date: June 24, 2021Inventors: Kiichiro Shimosaka, Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Patent number: 10696505Abstract: A document conveyance device includes a feed roller, a separation roller, a first motor for generating a first drive force for driving the separation roller, a planet gear, a drive gear, a second motor for generating a second drive force, and a position switching mechanism for switching a position of the planet gear from a first position in which the planet gear is separated from the drive gear and does not transmit the first drive force to the separation roller to a second position in which the planet gear engages with the drive gear and transmits the first drive force to the separation roller, based on the second drive force. The position switching mechanism includes a support member for supporting the planet gear, and a transfer mechanism for moving the support member so that the planet gear engages with the drive gear, based on the second drive force. The further movement of the planet gear is prevented after the planet gear engaged with the drive gear.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2018Date of Patent: June 30, 2020Assignee: PFU LIMITEDInventors: Hirotoshi Kakuda, Shigeru Yonemura
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Publication number: 20200198910Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes an imaging device to image a medium and configured to move in a moving direction, a roller configured to move in the moving direction, on an upstream side of the imaging device, a conveyance guide provided with the imaging device to move the imaging device, wherein the conveyance guide includes a slope for coming into contact with the medium, an engaging member provided with the imaging device to move the imaging device, and a moving member to move the imaging device by engaging with the engaging member in conjunction with a movement of the roller. The engaging member and the moving member are configured to be separated at a distance from one another when the medium is not conveyed. The moving member moves the imaging device by engaging with the engaging member only when the medium has a thickness greater than the distance.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2019Publication date: June 25, 2020Inventors: Yuki Takato, Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Patent number: 10623599Abstract: Provided is a document reading apparatus wherein plurality of color reference boards can be flexibly changed. A document reading apparatus includes a document reading module, a document cover provided at a position where the document cover faces against the document reading module, an abutment portion provided in the document cover, a plurality of color reference boards detachably set up relative to the document cover, and a coupling portion that couples the plurality of color reference boards together and that abuts against the abutment portion. Each of the plurality of color reference boards includes a surface that faces against the document reading module and that has different reflectance.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2016Date of Patent: April 14, 2020Assignee: PFU LIMITEDInventor: Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Publication number: 20190342466Abstract: Provided is a document reading apparatus wherein plurality of color reference boards can be flexibly changed. A document reading apparatus includes a document reading module, a document cover provided at a position where the document cover faces against the document reading module, an abutment portion provided in the document cover, a plurality of color reference boards detachably set up relative to the document cover, and a coupling portion that couples the plurality of color reference boards together and that abuts against the abutment portion. Each of the plurality of color reference boards includes a surface that faces against the document reading module and that has different reflectance.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2016Publication date: November 7, 2019Inventor: Hirotoshi KAKUDA
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Publication number: 20190225440Abstract: A document conveyance device includes a feed roller, a separation roller, a first motor for generating a first drive force for driving the separation roller, a planet gear, a drive gear, a second motor for generating a second drive force, and a position switching mechanism for switching a position of the planet gear from a first position in which the planet gear is separated from the drive gear and does not transmit the first drive force to the separation roller to a second position in which the planet gear engages with the drive gear and transmits the first drive force to the separation roller, based on the second drive force. The position switching mechanism includes a support member for supporting the planet gear, and a transfer mechanism for moving the support member so that the planet gear engages with the drive gear, based on the second drive force. The further movement of the planet gear is prevented after the planet gear engaged with the drive gear.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2018Publication date: July 25, 2019Inventors: Hirotoshi KAKUDA, Shigeru YONEMURA
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Patent number: 8780423Abstract: There are provided a paper conveying apparatus that can prevent a drop in quality of the image data while enabling stable conveyance of paper. The paper conveying apparatus includes a first image capture unit, a second image capture unit, a pair of conveyor rollers including a first roller and a second roller, a first conveyor guide, and a second conveyor guide, wherein a nip position of the pair of conveyor rollers is arranged above an extended plane of a top surface of the first image capture unit extended to the pair of conveyor rollers side, an axis of rotation of the second roller is arranged offset to the first image capture unit side compared with an axis of rotation of the first roller at projections on the extended plane, and the first conveyor guide guides the medium conveyed to above from the extended plane, to make the medium turn downward.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2013Date of Patent: July 15, 2014Assignee: PFU LimitedInventors: Shigeru Yonemura, Kouji Kawase, Hirotoshi Kakuda
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Publication number: 20140063573Abstract: There are provided a paper conveying apparatus that can prevent a drop in quality of the image data while enabling stable conveyance of paper. The paper conveying apparatus includes a first image capture unit, a second image capture unit, a pair of conveyor rollers including a first roller and a second roller, a first conveyor guide, and a second conveyor guide, wherein a nip position of the pair of conveyor rollers is arranged above an extended plane of a top surface of the first image capture unit extended to the pair of conveyor rollers side, an axis of rotation of the second roller is arranged offset to the first image capture unit side compared with an axis of rotation of the first roller at projections on the extended plane, and the first conveyor guide guides the medium conveyed to above from the extended plane, to make the medium turn downward.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2013Publication date: March 6, 2014Applicant: PFU LIMITEDInventors: Shigeru Yonemura, Kouji Kawase, Hirotoshi Kakuda