Patents by Inventor Junko AO

Junko AO 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: 11975937
    Abstract: A feeding unit includes: a retard roller; a holder section; a protruding section; an accommodating section; a pressing section; a first restricting section; and a second restricting section. The holder section rotatably holds the retard roller. The protruding section serves as a rocking fulcrum of the holder section. The accommodating section accommodates the holder section. The pressing section presses the holder section. The first restricting section restricts movement of the holder section in a retreating direction. The second restricting section restricts movement of the holder section in a direction opposite to the retreating direction. The pressing section is arranged so as to deviate in a Y direction with respect to a virtual line passing through a middle point of the protruding section and a middle point of the first restricting section. The holder section comes into contact with the first restricting section and the second restricting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Kondo, Junko Ao
  • Publication number: 20230227280
    Abstract: A feeding unit includes a retard roller, a first holder, a second holder, an accommodating portion, a pressing portion, a second pressing portion, a release lever, and a second restricting portion. The accommodating portion accommodates the second holder. The second pressing portion presses the second holder in a +Z direction. The release lever restricts the movement of the second holder in the +Z direction. The second holder is provided with a plurality of restricted portions in a Y direction and a +A direction, respectively. The second restricting portion restricts the movement of the second holder in a ?Z direction. The second restricting portion has a restricting surface. The restricting surface is provided in the accommodating portion and is configured to come into contact with the plurality of restricted portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Katsuyuki KONDO, Junko AO
  • Publication number: 20230227281
    Abstract: A feeding unit includes a paper feeding tray, a lifter, a feeding roller, a guide plate, and a handling portion. The lifter can displace paper in the paper feeding tray in a +B direction. The guide plate guides a downstream end of the paper lifted by the lifter in a +A direction toward the feeding roller. The handling portion handles the paper toward the feeding roller. The guide plate forms a frontage through which the paper can pass between the guide plate and an outer peripheral surface of the feeding roller, and is provided so that a size of the frontage can be adjusted. The handling portion is provided integrally with the guide plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Junko AO, Katsuyuki KONDO
  • Publication number: 20220275853
    Abstract: A drive transmission unit includes a cam member, a motor, a cam follower, and an extension spring. The cam member rotates about a rotation shaft. The cam member includes a first cam defining a maximum distance between the cam follower and the rotation shaft and a second cam having an outer peripheral surface positioned closer to the rotation shaft than the outer peripheral surface of the first cam. The motor rotates the rotation shaft. The cam follower is to be in contact with the cam member and moves in the +B direction and the ?B direction by the rotation of the cam member. The extension spring presses the cam follower against the cam member. When the cam follower moves in the ?B direction by the rotation of the cam member, this operation includes contact between the outer peripheral surface of the second cam and the cam follower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Inventors: Junko AO, Katsuyuki KONDO
  • Patent number: 11370232
    Abstract: The medium detection unit is a component constituting an optical path of the detection light, and includes a first optical element disposed on an upper side of the medium transport path and a second optical element disposed on a lower side of the medium transport path so as to face the first optical element, the second optical element has a facing surface that faces the first optical element, the facing surface being located at a position that is not in contact with a medium nipped by both the first roller pair and the second roller pair, and a medium feeding direction by the first roller pair is a direction by which a leading edge of a medium fed out abuts a position upstream in the medium transport direction relative to a position where the detection light is received on the facing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Junko Ao, Koji Oda, Toshihiro Imae, Soichiro Kii
  • Publication number: 20220177242
    Abstract: A feeding unit includes: a retard roller; a holder section; a protruding section; an accommodating section; a pressing section; a first restricting section; and a second restricting section. The holder section rotatably holds the retard roller. The protruding section serves as a rocking fulcrum of the holder section. The accommodating section accommodates the holder section. The pressing section presses the holder section. The first restricting section restricts movement of the holder section in a retreating direction. The second restricting section restricts movement of the holder section in a direction opposite to the retreating direction. The pressing section is arranged so as to deviate in a Y direction with respect to a virtual line passing through a middle point of the protruding section and a middle point of the first restricting section. The holder section comes into contact with the first restricting section and the second restricting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Katsuyuki KONDO, Junko AO
  • Publication number: 20200269610
    Abstract: The medium detection unit is a component constituting an optical path of the detection light, and includes a first optical element disposed on an upper side of the medium transport path and a second optical element disposed on a lower side of the medium transport path so as to face the first optical element, the second optical element has a facing surface that faces the first optical element, the facing surface being located at a position that is not in contact with a medium nipped by both the first roller pair and the second roller pair, and a medium feeding direction by the first roller pair is a direction by which a leading edge of a medium fed out abuts a position upstream in the medium transport direction relative to a position where the detection light is received on the facing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventors: Junko AO, Koji ODA, Toshihiro IMAE, Soichiro KIl