Patents by Inventor Ken Murooka
Ken Murooka 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: 20240012350Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2023Publication date: January 11, 2024Inventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 11803139Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2022Date of Patent: October 31, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Publication number: 20230043125Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2022Publication date: February 9, 2023Inventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 11506999Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material, and a guide member for guiding the recording material, wherein the guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material. The fixing portion includes a cylindrical belt and a roller contacting an outer surface of the belt for forming a fixing nip through which the recording material is to be passed, wherein the roller has a shape such that a diameter thereof is increased with a distance thereof toward the end portion with respect to the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction, and the guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2021Date of Patent: November 22, 2022Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Publication number: 20210173332Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2021Publication date: June 10, 2021Inventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 10955774Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2019Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Publication number: 20200125013Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2019Publication date: April 23, 2020Inventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 10551774Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material. The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2018Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 10481552Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording medium includes an image forming unit that forms an unfixed toner image on a recording medium; a fixing unit that heats the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image and fixes the unfixed toner image onto the recording medium at a nip portion; a heating member and a pressurizing member that touches the heating member and forms the nip portion therebetween; a first blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the heating member; and a second blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the pressurizing member. Upon the temperature of the non-sheet-passing area of the heating member exceeding a threshold temperature, the first blower blows without the second blower blowing, then the two blowers start blowing together.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2018Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Taisuke Minagawa, Satoru Izawa, Takahiro Uchiyama, Jun Asami, Toshiya Kaino, Wataru Uchida, Ken Murooka, Yasuhiko Fuse, Masatoshi Yoshida, Tomooku Koyama
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Publication number: 20180267461Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording medium includes an image forming unit that forms an unfixed toner image on a recording medium; a fixing unit that heats the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image and fixes the unfixed toner image onto the recording medium at a nip portion; a heating member and a pressurizing member that touches the heating member and forms the nip portion therebetween; a first blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the heating member; and a second blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the pressurizing member. Upon the temperature of the non-sheet-passing area of the heating member exceeding a threshold temperature, the first blower blows without the second blower blowing, then the two blowers start blowing together.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 22, 2018Publication date: September 20, 2018Inventors: Taisuke Minagawa, Satoru Izawa, Takahiro Uchiyama, Jun Asami, Toshiya Kaino, Wataru Uchida, Ken Murooka, Yasuhiko Fuse, Masatoshi Yoshida, Tomooku Koyama
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Patent number: 10031476Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording medium includes an image forming unit that forms an unfixed toner image on a recording medium; a fixing unit that heats the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image and fixes the unfixed toner image onto the recording medium at a nip portion; a heating member and a pressurizing member that touches the heating member and forms the nip portion therebetween; a blower having a fan and duct, that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the heating member; wherein the duct includes a second opening through which airflow from the fan is directed to the conveyance roller pair, and wherein the second opening of the duct is configured not to overlap with the non-sheet-passing area of the heating member in a longitudinal direction of the heating member.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2016Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Taisuke Minagawa, Satoru Izawa, Takahiro Uchiyama, Jun Asami, Toshiya Kaino, Wataru Uchida, Ken Murooka, Yasuhiko Fuse, Masatoshi Yoshida, Tomooku Koyama
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Publication number: 20180136595Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 11, 2018Publication date: May 17, 2018Inventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 9904222Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2016Date of Patent: February 27, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 9557702Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a fixing unit including a first fixing member and a second fixing member opposing to the first fixing member, a curl correcting unit including a first curl correcting member and a second curl correcting member opposing to the first curl correcting member, a first changing member rotatable about a first rotation center, the first changing member changing a pressure to the sheet by the first fixing member and the second fixing member, and a second changing member rotatable about the first rotation center, the second changing member changing a pressure to the sheet by the first curl correcting member and the second curl correcting member.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2015Date of Patent: January 31, 2017Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Wataru Uchida, Ryo Iwasawa, Tomooku Koyama, Taro Ishifune, Mitsuhiro Ohta, Ken Murooka, Masayoshi Fukatsu
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Publication number: 20160327902Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording medium includes an image forming unit that forms an unfixed toner image on a recording medium; a fixing unit that heats the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image and fixes the unfixed toner image onto the recording medium at a nip portion; a heating member and a pressurizing member that touches the heating member and forms the nip portion therebetween; a first blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the heating member; and a second blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the pressurizing member. Upon the temperature of the non-sheet-passing area of the heating member exceeding a threshold temperature, the first blower blows without the second blower blowing, then the two blowers start blowing together.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2016Publication date: November 10, 2016Inventors: Taisuke Minagawa, Satoru Izawa, Takahiro Uchiyama, Jun Asami, Toshiya Kaino, Wataru Uchida, Ken Murooka, Yasuhiko Fuse, Masatoshi Yoshida, Tomooku Koyama
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Publication number: 20160291515Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2016Publication date: October 6, 2016Inventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 9429886Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording medium includes an image forming unit that forms an unfixed toner image on a recording medium; a fixing unit that heats the recording medium bearing the unfixed toner image and fixes the unfixed toner image onto the recording medium at a nip portion; a heating member and a pressurizing member that touches the heating member and forms the nip portion therebetween; a first blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the heating member; and a second blower that blows air to a non-sheet-passing area of a small-size recording medium in the pressurizing member. Upon the temperature of the non-sheet-passing area of the heating member exceeding a threshold temperature, the first blower blows without the second blower blowing, then the two blowers start blowing together.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2014Date of Patent: August 30, 2016Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Taisuke Minagawa, Satoru Izawa, Takahiro Uchiyama, Jun Asami, Toshiya Kaino, Wataru Uchida, Ken Murooka, Yasuhiko Fuse, Masatoshi Yoshida, Tomooku Koyama
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Patent number: 9400462Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming portion, a fixing portion for fixing the unfixed image at a fixing nip, a first and second guide members configured to guide the recording material to the fixing nip. The first guide member is provided at a position opposed to a surface of the recording material on which the unfixed image is formed and at a center of the fixing portion with respect to a longitudinal direction of the fixing portion, and the second guide member is provided at a position opposed to the surface of the recording material on which the unfixed image is formed and at an end of the fixing portion with respect to the longitudinal direction of the fixing portion, the second guide member being movable relative to the first guide member with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recoding material.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2016Date of Patent: July 26, 2016Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura
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Patent number: 9395674Abstract: A curl correction apparatus that corrects a curl of a sheet includes: a hard roller that is disposed in the downstream in a sheet conveying direction of a heating apparatus; a soft roller that is disposed in the downstream in the sheet conveying direction of the heating apparatus; and a guide member that is disposed in the immediate upstream in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the hard roller, and guides the sheet; wherein a nip width in the sheet conveying direction of a nip portion between the hard roller and the soft roller is set to be narrower in a central portion in an axial direction than end portions in the axial direction, and the guide member is configured to protrude in the central portion in the axial direction toward the downstream in the sheet conveying direction from the both end portions in the axial direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 2, 2014Date of Patent: July 19, 2016Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Ken Murooka
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Publication number: 20160139547Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 26, 2016Publication date: May 19, 2016Inventors: Tomooku Koyama, Ken Murooka, Wataru Uchida, Jun Agata, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Takamura