Patents by Inventor Katsuyuki Yokoi

Katsuyuki Yokoi 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: 7699460
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus and a printing method which can perform an appropriate printing operation on a print medium while keeping an ink ejection range to a minimum required even when the print medium transported is deviated from a theoretical position, and which can also reduce a running cost and ink mist. Thus, the present invention is characterized by determining the actual position of the print medium transported to the printing position; based on the determined print medium position, setting an area slightly larger than the print medium lying area as a print area; and performing the printing operation on that area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Patent number: 7695129
    Abstract: The invention is to provide a recording apparatus and a recording method, capable of automatically specifying a type of a recording medium by a simple and inexpensive structure, thereby automating a sheet type setting operation and avoiding an error of user in such sheet type setting operation. The apparatus is equipped with first detectors for detecting a width dimension of a recording medium, a second detector for detecting a surface characteristic of the recording medium, and a discriminator for discriminating the type of the recording medium based on the results of the first and second detectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichi Yoshikawa, Kenji Kawazoe, Katsuyuki Yokoi, Tetsuyo Ohashi
  • Publication number: 20100054771
    Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium; a fixing unit configured to fix the image onto the recording medium by applying heat and pressure; a re-transport unit configured to re-transport the recording medium which has passed through the fixing unit, to the image forming unit along a re-transport path; a cooling unit provided between the fixing unit and the image forming unit along the re-transport path and configured to cool the recording medium transported by the re-transport unit; a parameter signal output unit configured to output a signal corresponding to a parameter for controlling the cooling unit; and a controller configured to control the cooling unit according to the signal output from the parameter signal output unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kensuke MIYAHARA, Katsuyuki YOKOI, Toshio FURUKAWA
  • Patent number: 7605930
    Abstract: A color blindness dialog box in a Properties window includes a color blindness process mode checkbox enabling a user to select a printing process designed for color blindness. When the color blindness process mode checkbox is checked, it is determined whether the image to be printed includes problematic areas for people with color blindness. If so, image data for these areas is extracted and displayed in a popup window. Subsequently, a borderline process is performed to form a borderline on either or both of the border areas and of text data and graphics data. Thus, the problematic areas are extracted and processed properly so that the problematic areas will become easy to distinguish.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Suzuki, Tomoaki Hattori, Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Patent number: 7596341
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a mainframe having an opening portion; an electrostatic latent image carrier being loadable in and unloadable from the mainframe through the opening portion; a transport path; a first opening and closing member provided openably and closably on the mainframe so as to open and close the opening portion; and a second opening and closing member disposed on a side opposite to the electrostatic latent image carrier with respect to the first opening and closing member and provided openably and closably on the mainframe so as to open and close the transport path. The first opening and closing member and the second opening and closing member are openable and closable integrally with each other. The second opening and closing member is openable and closable independently of the first opening and closing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20090162099
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus may be provided with a belt configured to move in the predetermined direction and face a photoreceptor, a charge removal member, and a conductive member. The charge removal member may be configured to remove charge of the belt. The conductive member may be located at the downstream side of the charge removal member in the predetermined direction. The conductive member may include a surface facing the belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio FURUKAWA, Katsuyuki YOKOI, Kensuke MIYAHARA
  • Patent number: 7536130
    Abstract: A toner cartridge for use in a printer includes a developing roller and an electrode. The toner cartridge is mountable in the printer by moving in a mounting direction and removable from the printer by moving in a removal direction. The developer roller supplies toner to a photosensitive member of the printer. The electrode is for electrically connecting with a bias supply electrode of the printer to supply a bias to the developing roller. The electrode moves, in a direction from outside the housing toward the interior of the housing and orthogonal to the mounting direction and the removal direction, under contact with the printer while the developing cartridge is being mounted in the printer. The electrode is electrically connected with the bias supply electrode of the printer while the developing cartridge is mounted in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Patent number: 7486904
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a plurality of image making units each having a charger; a transfer unit, a fixing unit configured to fix the multicolor developer image transferred by the transfer unit on a transfer medium. An exhaust air passage portion overlaps with at least a part of the at least one image making unit in a first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shougo Sato, Katsuyuki Yokoi, Masashi Suzuki, Yasushi Okabe
  • Patent number: 7429041
    Abstract: An apparatus for feeding a sheet to a processing device processing the sheet is disclosed that includes: a feeder tray displaceable to a selected one of a retracted position and an unfolded position relative to the processing device, and having a sheet-loaded plane on which the sheet to be fed is to be loaded; a pair of edge guides disposed at the sheet-loaded plane, having a pair of corresponding respective side walls co-extending along a feeding direction of the sheet in opposed relation with each other, to thereby guide lateral edges of the sheet; and a supporting device supporting each of the edge guides pivotably about a pivot axis perpendicular to the feeding direction, to thereby allow the each edge guide to be displaced to a selected one of a standing position on the sheet-loaded plane and an inclined position inclined to the standing position,
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20080212996
    Abstract: A toner cartridge for use in a printer includes a developing roller and an electrode. The toner cartridge is mountable in the printer by moving in a mounting direction and removable from the printer by moving in a removal direction. The developer roller supplies toner to a photosensitive member of the printer. The electrode is for electrically connecting with a bias supply electrode of the printer to supply a bias to the developing roller. The electrode moves, in a direction from outside the housing toward the interior of the housing and orthogonal to the mounting direction and the removal direction, under contact with the printer while the developing cartridge is being mounted in the printer. The electrode is electrically connected with the bias supply electrode of the printer while the developing cartridge is mounted in the printer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Patent number: 7421225
    Abstract: A toner cartridge for use in a printer includes a developing roller and an electrode. The toner cartridge is mountable in the printer by moving in a mounting direction and removable from the printer by moving in a removal direction. The developer roller supplies toner to a photosensitive member of the printer. The electrode is for electrically connecting with a bias supply electrode of the printer to supply a bias to the developing roller. The electrode moves, in a direction from outside the housing toward the interior of the housing and orthogonal to the mounting direction and the removal direction, under contact with the printer while the developing cartridge is being mounted in the printer. The electrode is electrically connected with the bias supply electrode of the printer while the developing cartridge is mounted in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Patent number: 7401914
    Abstract: If a plurality of print jobs is received irregularly, this invention makes it possible to perform a proper double-sided printing on a print medium. The printing apparatus of this invention comprises: print medium transport unit; printing means; discharge unit for discharging the print medium from the transport path; and double-sided printing control unit for controlling these unit. When the printing of a last page of print data based on a preceding print command is ended on the first surface of a print medium, the double-sided printing control unit does not discharge the print medium and has the print medium, whose first surface was printed, stand by in the transport path. Then, when the next print command is input, a first page of print data in the next print command is printed on the second surface of the print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20080145114
    Abstract: A color image forming apparatus is described. The color image forming apparatus may includes: a belt that travels in a prescribed direction; a plurality of image carriers arranged in parallel in the prescribed direction, and opposed to the belt and carrying developing agent images of different colors respectively; a backup roller arranged in opposed relation to the belt; a cleaning roller arranged in opposed relation to the backup roller with the belt sandwiched therebetween, and adsorbing an adherent to the belt by a potential difference produced between the backup roller and the cleaning roller; and a discharge member opposed to the belt between a position more downstream in the prescribed direction than a position where the cleaning roller is opposed to the belt and a position more upstream in the prescribed direction than a position where the image carrier arranged on the most upstream side in the prescribed direction is opposed to the belt, for discharging the belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Furukawa, Kensuke Miyahara, Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20080019715
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image forming section forming images on image forming faces of a recording medium, a condition setting section individually setting an operating condition of the image forming section for forming the image on a first image forming face of a recording medium and another operating condition of the image forming section for forming the image on a second image forming face of the recording medium opposite to the first image forming face in the manual duplex mode, and a control section controlling the image forming section on the basis of each operating condition set by the condition setting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio FURUKAWA, Katsuyuki YOKOI, Kensuke MIYAHARA
  • Patent number: 7266313
    Abstract: A system of printers uses replicable toner boxes, which each has a unique serial number. Each printer determines once the toner box is empty. At this time, the printer registers the serial number of the used toner box in used toner box list in a memory. Each time a toner box is mounted in the printer, the printer reads and compares the serial number of the freshly inserted toner box with the serial numbers in the list in the memory. If the serial number of the presently mounted toner box matches any in the list, this means that the toner box has previously been judged to reach life end, so the printer displays a message that the toner box is not suitable for use in the printer and prevents further printing operations until the toner box is replaced with a new one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Yokoi, Tomoaki Hattori, Masashi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20070154238
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a mainframe having an opening portion; an electrostatic latent image carrier being loadable in and unloadable from the mainframe through the opening portion; a transport path; a first opening and closing member provided openably and closably on the mainframe so as to open and close the opening portion; and a second opening and closing member disposed on a side opposite to the electrostatic latent image carrier with respect to the first opening and closing member and provided openably and closably on the mainframe so as to open and close the transport path. The first opening and closing member and the second opening and closing member are openable and closable integrally with each other. The second opening and closing member is openable and closable independently of the first opening and closing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Publication date: July 5, 2007
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Patent number: 7209678
    Abstract: A toner cartridge for use in a printer includes a developing roller and an electrode. The toner cartridge is mountable in the printer by moving in a mounting direction and removable from the printer by moving in a removal direction. The developer roller supplies toner to a photosensitive member of the printer. The electrode is for electrically connecting with a bias supply electrode of the printer to supply a bias to the developing roller. The electrode moves, in a direction from outside the housing toward the interior of the housing and orthogonal to the mounting direction and the removal direction, under contact with the printer while the developing cartridge is being mounted in the printer. The electrode is electrically connected with the bias supply electrode of the printer while the developing cartridge is mounted in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Patent number: 7203448
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a mainframe having an opening portion; an electrostatic latent image carrier being loadable in and unloadable from the main frame through the opening portion; a transport path; a first opening and closing member provided openably and closably on the mainframe so as to open and close the opening portion; and a second opening and closing member disposed on a side opposite to the electrostatic latent image carrier with respect to the first opening and closing member and provided openably and closably on the mainframe so as to open and close the transport path. The first opening and closing member and the second opening and closing member are openable and closable integrally with each other. The second opening and closing member is openable and closable independently of the first opening and closing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20070077083
    Abstract: A toner cartridge for use in a printer includes a developing roller and an electrode. The toner cartridge is mountable in the printer by moving in a mounting direction and removable from the printer by moving in a removal direction. The developer roller supplies toner to a photosensitive member of the printer. The electrode is for electrically connecting with a bias supply electrode of the printer to supply a bias to the developing roller. The electrode moves, in a direction from outside the housing toward the interior of the housing and orthogonal to the mounting direction and the removal direction, under contact with the printer while the developing cartridge is being mounted in the printer. The electrode is electrically connected with the bias supply electrode of the printer while the developing cartridge is mounted in the printer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Publication date: April 5, 2007
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20070036592
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a plurality of image carriers each carrying a developer image; a primary transfer belt opposed to the plurality of image carriers and configured to carry a multicolor developer image; a secondary transfer unit opposed to the primary transfer belt and configured to transfer the multicolor developer image carried on the primary transfer belt onto a transfer medium; and a fixing unit configured to fix the multicolor developer image transferred by the secondary transfer unit on the transfer medium. The primary transfer belt is provided along a substantial vertical direction. The secondary transfer unit is provided on the opposite side of the image carrier on the primary transfer belt. The fixing unit is provided above the secondary transfer unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Publication date: February 15, 2007
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shougo Sato, Katsuyuki Yokoi, Masashi Suzuki, Yasushi Okabe