Patents by Inventor Iwane Sano

Iwane Sano 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: 10549544
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus configured to record an image based on image data on a sheet, the ink-jet recording apparatus includes a first roller pair, a second roller pair, a carriage, a recording head, and a controller configured to: control the first roller pair and the second roller pair to perform intermittent conveyance of the sheet; control the carriage and the recording head to record a one-pass image on the sheet; and calculate an overlap amount, in the conveyance direction, of a one-pass image to be recorded on the sheet in a predefined one pass and a one-pass image to be recorded on the sheet in a next one pass after the predefined one pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ito, Iwane Sano, Gakuro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 10471745
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided. The ink-jet recording apparatus includes: a plurality of rollers that convey a sheet in a conveyance direction; a platen; a recording unit; a plurality of first ribs provided in the platen; and a plurality of second ribs provided between the first ribs and the rollers in the conveyance direction. The plurality of rollers, the plurality of first ribs, and the plurality of second ribs are each disposed in a position where at least parts of them overlap in the width direction, and a length in the width direction of each of the supporting surfaces of the plurality of second ribs is longer than that in the width direction of each of the supporting surfaces of the plurality of first ribs, and is shorter than that in the width direction of an abutting surface on the sheet in each of the plurality of rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Iwane Sano, Tsuyoshi Ito, Gakuro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 10350914
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: an image recorder; a first supporter including support ribs extending to positions under the image recorder; an ink receiver disposed downstream of the support ribs; first and second roller pairs disposed downstream of the first supporter; a guide; and a protrusion disposed between the ink receiver and the first roller pair and having an upper end located below upper ends of the support ribs and above a first imaginary line connecting between a nip position of the first roller pair and a downstream end of the ink receiver. A distance between an upstream end of the ink receiver and a nip position of the second roller pair is less than a length of a first-size sheet and greater than a length of a second-size sheet. The protrusion is disposed, in a widthwise direction, in a region through which the second-size sheet is conveyed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gakuro Kanazawa, Iwane Sano, Tsuyoshi Ito
  • Publication number: 20190084316
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus configured to record an image based on image data on a sheet, the ink-jet recording apparatus includes a first roller pair, a second roller pair, a carriage, a recording head, and a controller configured to: control the first roller pair and the second roller pair to perform intermittent conveyance of the sheet; control the carriage and the recording head to record a one-pass image on the sheet; and calculate an overlap amount, in the conveyance direction, of a one-pass image to be recorded on the sheet in a predefined one pass and a one-pass image to be recorded on the sheet in a next one pass after the predefined one pass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi ITO, Iwane SANO, Gakuro KANAZAWA
  • Patent number: 10201992
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes first and second conveying passages, a recording portion for recording images, first and second conveying rollers, first and second motors, a power transmission mechanism switchable between a first state and a second state, and a controller. In the first state of the mechanism, the controller drives the first motor to rotate the first and second conveying rollers, thereby conveying a recording medium along the first conveying passage in a first conveying direction. During this conveyance, the controller controls the recording portion to record an image on one surface of the recording medium. Then, the controller switches the mechanism from the first state to the second state, and drives the second motor in the second state of the mechanism to rotate the second conveying roller independently of the first conveying roller, thereby conveying the recording medium along the second conveying passage in a second conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ito, Masao Mimoto, Aya Kimura, Iwane Sano
  • Patent number: 10179715
    Abstract: A sheet-feeding device includes: a first feeding roller configured to contact a sheet accommodated in a sheet-accommodation portion to feed the sheet; a second feeding roller movable between a non-feeding position and a feeding position; a driving source configured to generate a rotational driving force to the first feeding roller; a transmission portion configured to transmit the rotational driving force to the second feeding roller; a first sensor; a second sensor; and a roller actuating portion. The roller actuating portion is configured to: move the second feeding roller from the non-feeding position to the feeding position in a case where the second detector detects rotation of the first feeding roller is stopped during a sheet-feeding operation; and move the second feeding roller from the feeding position to the non-feeding position in a case where the first sensor detects the sheet-feeding operation is completed for the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masao Mimoto, Aya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Ito, Iwane Sano
  • Patent number: 10160240
    Abstract: An inkjet recording device is described in which maintenance is performed by a maintenance unit upon a recording head. The maintenance unit is located on a base unit. The base unit includes a wall portion supporting a plurality of gear shafts protruding in a width direction from the wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jie Xiu, Keisuke Wakakusa, Iwane Sano, Masao Mimoto, Yasuhira Ota, Shingo Ito, Noriyuki Kawamata
  • Patent number: 10144605
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus including: a housing; first through third conveyance paths, the second and third paths merging with the first conveyance path at a joining position; and a first guide member disposed at the joining position, wherein (a) the first guide member is configured to be kept, in a normal state, at a first position at which the first guide member closes at least part of the first conveyance path and opens the second and third conveyance paths to the first conveyance path, at the joining position and (b) the first guide member is configured to be moved, by contacting a sheet conveyed through the first conveyance path, to a second position at which the first guide member opens the first conveyance path and closes at least part of the second conveyance path and at least part of the third conveyance path with respect to the first conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Wakakusa, Iwane Sano
  • Patent number: 10137700
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus configured to record an image based on image data on a sheet, the ink-jet recording apparatus includes a first roller pair, a second roller pair, a carriage, a recording head, and a controller configured to: control the first roller pair and the second roller pair to perform intermittent conveyance of the sheet; control the carriage and the recording head to record a one-pass image on the sheet; and calculate an overlap amount, in the conveyance direction, of a one-pass image to be recorded on the sheet in a predefined one pass and a one-pass image to be recorded on the sheet in a next one pass after the predefined one pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ito, Iwane Sano, Gakuro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20180281479
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes first and second conveying passages, a recording portion for recording images, first and second conveying rollers, first and second motors, a power transmission mechanism switchable between a first state and a second state, and a controller. In the first state of the mechanism, the controller drives the first motor to rotate the first and second conveying rollers, thereby conveying a recording medium along the first conveying passage in a first conveying direction. During this conveyance, the controller controls the recording portion to record an image on one surface of the recording medium. Then, the controller switches the mechanism from the first state to the second state, and drives the second motor in the second state of the mechanism to rotate the second conveying roller independently of the first conveying roller, thereby conveying the recording medium along the second conveying passage in a second conveying direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi ITO, Masao MIMOTO, Aya KIMURA, Iwane SANO
  • Publication number: 20180273316
    Abstract: A sheet-feeding device includes: a first feeding roller configured to contact a sheet accommodated in a sheet-accommodation portion to feed the sheet; a second feeding roller movable between a non-feeding position and a feeding position; a driving source configured to generate a rotational driving force to the first feeding roller; a transmission portion configured to transmit the rotational driving force to the second feeding roller; a first sensor; a second sensor; and a roller actuating portion. The roller actuating portion is configured to: move the second feeding roller from the non-feeding position to the feeding position in a case where the second detector detects rotation of the first feeding roller is stopped during a sheet-feeding operation; and move the second feeding roller from the feeding position to the non-feeding position in a case where the first sensor detects the sheet-feeding operation is completed for the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masao MIMOTO, Aya KIMURA, Tsuyoshi ITO, Iwane SANO
  • Publication number: 20180264856
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided. The ink-jet recording apparatus includes: a plurality of rollers that convey a sheet in a conveyance direction; a platen; a recording unit; a plurality of first ribs provided in the platen; and a plurality of second ribs provided between the first ribs and the rollers in the conveyance direction. The plurality of rollers, the plurality of first ribs, and the plurality of second ribs are each disposed in a position where at least parts of them overlap in the width direction, and a length in the width direction of each of the supporting surfaces of the plurality of second ribs is longer than that in the width direction of each of the supporting surfaces of the plurality of first ribs, and is shorter than that in the width direction of an abutting surface on the sheet in each of the plurality of rollers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Inventors: Iwane Sano, Tsuyoshi Ito, Gakuro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 9987862
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided. The ink-jet recording apparatus includes: a plurality of rollers that convey a sheet in a conveyance direction; a platen; a recording unit; a plurality of first ribs provided in the platen; and a plurality of second ribs provided between the first ribs and the rollers in the conveyance direction. The plurality of rollers, the plurality of first ribs, and the plurality of second ribs are each disposed in a position where at least parts of them overlap in the width direction, and a length in the width direction of each of the supporting surfaces of the plurality of second ribs is longer than that in the width direction of each of the supporting surfaces of the plurality of first ribs, and is shorter than that in the width direction of an abutting surface on the sheet in each of the plurality of rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Iwane Sano, Tsuyoshi Ito, Gakuro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20180118494
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: an image recorder; a first supporter including support ribs extending to positions under the image recorder; an ink receiver disposed downstream of the support ribs; first and second roller pairs disposed downstream of the first supporter; a guide; and a protrusion disposed between the ink receiver and the first roller pair and having an upper end located below upper ends of the support ribs and above a first imaginary line connecting between a nip position of the first roller pair and a downstream end of the ink receiver. A distance between an upstream end of the ink receiver and a nip position of the second roller pair is less than a length of a first-size sheet and greater than a length of a second-size sheet. The protrusion is disposed, in a widthwise direction, in a region through which the second-size sheet is conveyed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gakuro KANAZAWA, Iwane SANO, Tsuyoshi ITO
  • Publication number: 20180093515
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus configured to record an image based on image data on a sheet, the ink-jet recording apparatus includes a first roller pair, a second roller pair, a carriage, a recording head, and a controller configured to: control the first roller pair and the second roller pair to perform intermittent conveyance of the sheet; control the carriage and the recording head to record a one-pass image on the sheet; and calculate an overlap amount, in the conveyance direction, of a one-pass image to be recorded on the sheet in a predefined one pass and a one-pass image to be recorded on the sheet in a next one pass after the predefined one pass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi ITO, Iwane SANO, Gakuro KANAZAWA
  • Publication number: 20180037039
    Abstract: An inkjet recording device is described in which maintenance is performed by a maintenance unit upon a recording head. The maintenance unit is located on a base unit. The base unit includes a wall portion supporting a plurality of gear shafts protruding in a width direction from the wall portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Inventors: Jie Xiu, Keisuke Wakakusa, Iwane Sano, Masao Mimoto, Yasuhira Ota, Shingo Ito, Noriyuki Kawamata
  • Patent number: 9844955
    Abstract: There is provided an image recording apparatus, including: a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet in a sheet conveyance direction; a recording unit configured to record the image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit; a support member having a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface, the first surface being configured to support the recording unit; a contact member including an engaging part configured to engage with the first surface and a contact part configured to make contact with the sheet on a downstream side of the engaging part in the sheet conveyance direction; and an biasing member configured to bias the contact member toward the second surface of the support member between the contact part and the engaging part in the sheet conveyance direction, and thereby making the contact member contact with the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Iwane Sano
  • Patent number: 9815306
    Abstract: There is provided an ink-jet recording apparatus including: a body including a first conveyance route; a recording unit; a switchback conveyance part; a first flap moving between a first state in which the first flap guides, to the switchback conveyance part, a sheet conveyed to one side in a first direction and a second state in which the first flap guides, from the first conveyance route to a second conveyance route, the sheet conveyed to the other side in the first direction; and second flaps moving between a third state in which the second flaps guide, to the switchback conveyance part, the sheet conveyed to one side in the first direction and a fourth state in which the second flaps guide, from the first conveyance route to the second conveyance route, the sheet conveyed to the other side in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gakuro Kanazawa, Iwane Sano, Tsuyoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 9731519
    Abstract: In a conveying device, a cover member includes a guide portion and is configured to move relative to a casing between a first position at which the guide portion defines a first conveying path, and a second position at which the guide portion exposes the first conveying path to an exterior of the conveying device. A conveying unit is configured to convey a medium along a second conveying path. A flap is supported by the cover member and pivotable about a pivot axis between a third position and a fourth position. The flap is configured to guide the medium toward the conveying unit. A restricting mechanism is configured to selectively allow and restrict pivoting of the flap to the fourth position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shota Iijima, Iwane Sano
  • Publication number: 20170217220
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided. The ink-jet recording apparatus includes: a plurality of rollers that convey a sheet in a conveyance direction; a platen; a recording unit; a plurality of first ribs provided in the platen; and a plurality of second ribs provided between the first ribs and the rollers in the conveyance direction. The plurality of rollers, the plurality of first ribs, and the plurality of second ribs are each disposed in a position where at least parts of them overlap in the width direction, and a length in the width direction of each of the supporting surfaces of the plurality of second ribs is longer than that in the width direction of each of the supporting surfaces of the plurality of first ribs, and is shorter than that in the width direction of an abutting surface on the sheet in each of the plurality of rollers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Iwane Sano, Tsuyoshi Ito, Gakuro Kanazawa