Patents by Inventor Kazumichi Yamauchi
Kazumichi Yamauchi 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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Patent number: 7525564Abstract: An image printing apparatus, which can correct variation in inter-sheet distance at the time of conveyance of transfer sheets, comprising an image printing section which performs image printing by sequentially conveying a plurality of transfer sheets at predetermined intervals at a first convey velocity and performing transfer and fixing of a toner image on each transfer sheet, a timepiece section which measures a time required for the image printing section to perform image printing on the each transfer sheet, and a delivery convey section which receives each transfer sheet on which image printing is performed by the image printing section and delivers the each transfer sheets while adjusting intervals therebetween by conveying the each transfer sheets upon changing the convey velocity to a second convey velocity set on the basis of the measured time required for the image printing on the each transfer sheet.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2006Date of Patent: April 28, 2009Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Akira Okamoto, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Kazutoshi Yoshimura
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Publication number: 20090052930Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming a visible image on a transfer sheet according to a job, the image forming apparatus including: a plurality of sheet feed trays adapted to load plural kinds of transfer sheets; an image forming section for forming a visible image according to image data on a transfer sheet; a conveying section for conveying a transfer sheet from each of the plurality of sheet feed trays toward the image forming section; a display section for displaying various items; a color detection section for detecting a transfer sheet color of the transfer sheet being conveyed by the conveying section; and a control section for controlling a conveyance of the transfer sheet and the image formation, wherein the control section displays a transfer sheet color designated by the job and the transfer sheet color detected by the color detection section on the display section.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2008Publication date: February 26, 2009Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Kazutoshi Yoshimura, Satoshi Sakata, Kenji Yamamoto, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Hideki Nakamura, Akira Okamoto
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Publication number: 20090016763Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, a sheet finisher and an image forming system; each of them including: a display for displaying a work item for a maintenance in the form of a guidance display; a detection section for detecting whether the work item is executed or not; an energization controller for supplying/blocking power supply to electric components to be maintained; a connection judging section for judging whether the electric components are electrically connected with the power supply or not; and a controller for controlling the display to switch displays of the work item and for controlling the energization controller, in accordance with a detection result of the detection section; wherein the controller causes the display to display an alarm and a guidance display of a corresponding work, according to a judgment of the connection judging section.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2008Publication date: January 15, 2009Inventors: Hideki NAKAMURA, Kazutoshi YOSHIMURA, Satoshi SAKATA, Kazumichi YAMAUCHI, Akira OKAMOTO, Kenji YAMAMOTO
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Patent number: 7477859Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet on the basis of image data; a sheet discharge tray on which the sheet with the image that has been formed, is stacked; and a controller that controls image formation. The image forming apparatus has a one sided mode in which the image formation is carried out only on a one side of a sheet and a two sided mode in which the image formation is carried out on both sides of a sheet, and when the two sided mode is carried out, the controller controls to form an image as a composite image in which a cutting mark is attached to the image data for a first surface only or a second surface only of the sheet.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2005Date of Patent: January 13, 2009Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Inc.Inventors: Satoshi Sakata, Kazumichi Yamauchi
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Patent number: 7424238Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a job information acquiring unit for acquiring job information which includes job-related sheet size information, a confirmation-output size determining unit for determining the size of a sheet for confirmation output according to the job information, a job information position designating unit for specifying a portion of the job image information to be printed out on a confirmation-output sheet of a size which is determined by the confirmation-output size determining unit, an editing unit for editing the portion of job image information specified by the job information position designating unit as confirmation-output image information on the confirmation-output sheet of a size determined by the confirmation-output size determining unit, and an image forming unit for carrying out image forming of confirmation-output image information edited by the editing unit on the confirmation-output sheet.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2006Date of Patent: September 9, 2008Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Kazumichi Yamauchi, Satoshi Sakata
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Patent number: 7404559Abstract: Disclosed is a sheet feeding apparatus comprises: a multiple feed detecting section; a temperature detecting section; and a control section. The multiple feed detecting section has an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver arranged on opposite sides of the conveyance path for conveying the sheets, and detects the feed of multiple sheets by, transmitting an ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transmitter to the ultrasonic receiver through at least one sheet traveling along the conveyance path, and comparing the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic receiver with a reference level. The temperature detecting section detects a temperature of the apparatus, and the control section adjusts a detecting condition of the multiple feed detecting section based on the detected temperature.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2005Date of Patent: July 29, 2008Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Kazutoshi Yoshimura, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Akira Okamoto
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Publication number: 20080107433Abstract: An image forming apparatus for use with a transfer sheet includes: a sheet feeding unit structured to feed the transfer sheet; a color detection sensor structured to detect color information on the transfer sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit; a recognition section structured to recognize whether the transfer sheet subjected to the detection by the color detection sensor is a non-tabbed transfer sheet having no tab, or either a tabbed transfer sheet having a tab or an unprocessed tabbed transfer sheet blank, the unprocessed tabbed transfer sheet blank being capable of being processed into a tabbed transfer sheet having a tab by post-processing, wherein a recognition result is made based on the color information detected by the color detection sensor; and a control section that controls image forming on and conveying of the fed transfer sheet, according to the recognition result by the recognition section.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2007Publication date: May 8, 2008Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Kenji Yamamoto, Satoshi Sakata, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Akira Okamoto, Kazutoshi Yoshimura
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Patent number: 7336912Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section that forms a composite image on a sheet, based on image data and a cut guide; an operation section to input an image forming condition; and a control unit that controls operation of each section of the apparatus. Herein, the operation section includes a cutting times number setting unit to set a number of times of cutting a sheet and cut end designating units to designate sheet ends to be cut. The control unit performs control to change each display by replacing a respective cut end designating unit, according to the number of times of cutting having been set by the cutting times number setting unit, and controls the image forming section to form the composite image on the sheet, corresponding to the ends having been designated to be cut via the cut end designating unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2006Date of Patent: February 26, 2008Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Kazumichi Yamauchi, Satoshi Sakata
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Publication number: 20070297821Abstract: An image forming apparatus, which includes: an image forming section to form an image on a transfer sheet conveyed to the image forming section; an edge detecting sensor which detects an edge position of the transfer sheet in a main scanning direction while the transfer sheet is conveyed to the image forming section; and a controller which controls an image writing position at the image forming section based on a result of an edge position detection by the edge detecting sensor; wherein the edge detecting sensor comprises a plurality of light sources each having a different wavelength, and the controller comprises a light source controller which controls lighting of the plural light sources.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2007Publication date: December 27, 2007Inventors: Kazumichi Yamauchi, Satoshi Sakata, Kenji Yamamoto, Akira Okamoto, Kazutoshi Yoshimura
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Publication number: 20070280711Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a recording section which records therein image data, and processing position information of a sheet; an image forming section which forms an image on the sheet on the basis of the image data recorded in the recording section; a position detector which detects a pre-processed position on a sheet to be fed; and a controller which compares the processing position information with a value detected by the position detector, judges whether or not an abnormality is present, and corrects an image forming position of the image forming section for each block of a plurality of blocks surrounded by either processed portions of a sheet or a processed portion and an edge of the sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 8, 2007Publication date: December 6, 2007Inventors: Kazutoshi Yoshimura, Satoshi Sakata, Kenji Yamamoto, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Akira Okamoto
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Publication number: 20070153077Abstract: When images are to be printed on two, front and lower surfaces of a sheet, in order to register the position of the image on the front surface and the position of the image on the back surface highly accurately, an image printing apparatus of this invention includes an image printing section which forms the image for the front surface of the sheet s well as an image of a reference mark on a photosensitive member at one portion in a region outside an image printing region and transfers the images onto the front surface of the sheet, a fixing unit which fixes the transferred images on the sheet, a line sensor which detects the reference mark after fixing printed on the front surface of the sheet, an arithmetic operating section which obtains a shrinkage factor of the sheet on the basis of a size of the reference mark before fixing and a size of the detected reference mark after fixing and calculates a position and magnification of the image to be printed on the back surface on the basis of the shrinkage factor,Type: ApplicationFiled: September 14, 2006Publication date: July 5, 2007Inventors: Kazumichi Yamauchi, Satoshi Sakata, Akira Okamoto, Kenji Yamamoto, Kazutoshi Yoshimura
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Publication number: 20070127964Abstract: An image forming apparatus having therein an image forming device that transfers an image onto a transfer sheet and a reversing device that reverses the transfer sheet, wherein the image forming device transfers an image on the front surface of the transfer sheet, then, the reversing device reverses the sheet, and the image forming device transfers an image onto the rear surface of the sheet and the image forming apparatus further has therein a correcting device that corrects the overall skew of the transfer sheet depending on an inclination of a leading side of a transfer sheet in the conveyance direction set in advance before an image is formed on the front surface, and corrects the overall skew of the transfer sheet depending on an inclination of a leading side of a transfer sheet in the conveyance direction set in advance before an image is formed on the rear surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2006Publication date: June 7, 2007Inventors: Akira Okamoto, Satoshi Sakata, Kenji Yamamoto, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Kazutoshi Yoshimura
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Publication number: 20070009279Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a job information acquiring unit for acquiring job information which includes job-related sheet size information, a confirmation-output size determining unit for determining the size of a sheet for confirmation output according to the job information, a job information position designating unit for specifying a portion of the job image information to be printed out on a confirmation-output sheet of a size which is determined by the confirmation-output size determining unit, an editing unit for editing the portion of job image information specified by the job information position designating unit as confirmation-output image information on the confirmation-output sheet of a size determined by the confirmation-output size determining unit, and an image forming unit for carrying out image forming of confirmation-output image information edited by the editing unit on the confirmation-output sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2006Publication date: January 11, 2007Inventors: Kazumichi Yamauchi, Satoshi Sakata
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Publication number: 20060269311Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section that forms a composite image on a sheet, based on image data and a cut guide; an operation section to input an image forming condition; and a control unit that controls operation of each section of the apparatus. Herein, the operation section includes a cutting times number setting unit to set a number of times of cutting a sheet and cut end designating units to designate sheet ends to be cut. The control unit performs control to change each display by replacing a respective cut end designating unit, according to the number of times of cutting having been set by the cutting times number setting unit, and controls the image forming section to form the composite image on the sheet, corresponding to the ends having been designated to be cut via the cut end designating unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2006Publication date: November 30, 2006Inventors: Kazumichi Yamauchi, Satoshi Sakata
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Publication number: 20060269339Abstract: An image printing apparatus, which can correct variation in inter-sheet distance at the time of conveyance of transfer sheets, comprising an image printing section which performs image printing by sequentially conveying a plurality of transfer sheets at predetermined intervals at a first convey velocity and performing transfer and fixing of a toner image on each transfer sheet, a timepiece section which measures a time required for the image printing section to perform image printing on the each transfer sheet, and a delivery convey section which receives each transfer sheet on which image printing is performed by the image printing section and delivers the each transfer sheets while adjusting intervals therebetween by conveying the each transfer sheets upon changing the convey velocity to a second convey velocity set on the basis of the measured time required for the image printing on the each transfer sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2006Publication date: November 30, 2006Inventors: Akira Okamoto, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Kazutoshi Yoshimura
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Publication number: 20060256389Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet, based on image data of a job, a sheet ejection tray on which to stack sheets have been formed with an image, and a controller to control image forming, wherein the controller performs control to form an image based on a composite image of image data and a cut guide attached to the image data only on a first image forming page or a last image forming page.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 26, 2006Publication date: November 16, 2006Inventors: Satoshi Sakata, Kazumichi Yamauchi
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Publication number: 20060238811Abstract: There is described an image forming system, which confirms a finished state of an image at any time during the implementation of the image forming job as needed. The system includes: an image forming section to respectively form images on recording materials; a stacking section to stack the recording materials continuously ejected from the image forming section; an instruction inputting section from which an operator inputs instruction information; an ejecting section to stack a part of the recording materials in such a manner that the operator can pick up stacked recording materials by hand; a controlling section to conduct controlling operations in response to the instruction information, inputted from the instruction inputting section during an implementation of an image forming job including an operation for stacking the recording materials ejected from the image forming section, in order to eject the part of the recording materials onto the ejecting section.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2006Publication date: October 26, 2006Inventors: Utami Soma, Satoshi Sakata, Masanobu Kawano, Kenji Yamamoto, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Hideki Nakamura, Akira Okamoto, Kazutoshi Yoshimura
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Publication number: 20060210296Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet on the basis of image data; a sheet discharge tray on which the sheet with the image that has been formed, is stacked; and a controller that controls image formation. The image forming apparatus has a one sided mode in which the image formation is carried out only on a one side of a sheet and a two sided mode in which the image formation is carried out on both sides of a sheet, and when the two sided mode is carried out, the controller controls to form an image as a composite image in which a cutting mark is attached to the image data for a first surface only or a second surface only of the sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2005Publication date: September 21, 2006Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Satoshi Sakata, Kazumichi Yamauchi
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Patent number: 7072595Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a sheet feeding section for conveying a sheet for image formation, a stepping motor for driving the sheet feeding section, and a controller for controlling operation of the stepping motor. The controller includes a current value setting section. The current value setting section sets a current value that actuates the stepping motor based on sheet information obtained through at least one section selected from a thickness detecting section, size detecting section, and paper quality detecting section. The thickness detecting section detects a thickness of the sheet. The size detecting section detects a size of the sheet. The paper quality detecting section detects a paper quality of the sheet.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2002Date of Patent: July 4, 2006Assignee: Konica CorporationInventors: Norio Joichi, Atsushi Takahashi, Kazumichi Yamauchi, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Akifumi Isobe, Yoshiki Katayama
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Patent number: 7010251Abstract: A toner conveyance device for conveying toner particles including: a toner mixing unit having a toner introducing portion to introduce toner particles, for mixing the toner particles from the toner introducing portion with air to make a toner fluid; a first conveyor for receiving the toner fluid in the toner mixing unit and conveying; a toner separation unit for separating the toner fluid conveyed by the first conveyor into air and toner particles, the toner separation unit having a toner discharging portion for discharging the separated toner particles to an outside; a second conveyor for conveying the air separated by the toner separation unit back to the toner mixing unit; and a tightly closed circulation path of air, formed starting at the toner mixing unit which leads to the toner separation unit through the first conveyor and returning back to the toner mixing unit through the second conveyor.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2003Date of Patent: March 7, 2006Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Kazumichi Yamauchi, Ritsuo Fujii, Satoshi Sakata, Seiji Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Isokawa, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Yasuo Shiokawa