Patents by Inventor Kenichiro Kitajima

Kenichiro Kitajima 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: 11977348
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus configured to form a toner image on a recording material, a varnish application apparatus configured to apply a varnish to the recording material, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to apply a first application amount of varnish to the recording material per unit area in a case of executing the image forming job for forming a varnish layer on a recording material having a first grammage, and is configured to apply a second application amount of varnish to the recording material per unit area in a case of executing the image forming job for forming the varnish layer on a recording material having a second grammage lower than the first grammage, the second application amount being higher than the first application amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20240085834
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit and a fixing unit; a folding processing portion; a pressure-bonding portion; and an input portion capable of selecting a pressure-bonding mode in which a pressure-bonding print prepared by subjecting the recording material to pressure-bonding processing by the folding processing portion and the pressure-bonding portion and capable of selecting a layout of the toner image formed on the recording material. When the pressure-bonding mode is selected, the layout depending on the pressure-bonding mode is selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: SHUICHI TAMURA, NAOYUKI YAMAMOTO, TOHRU NAKAEGAWA, KENICHIRO KITAJIMA, KOTA MORI, YOSHIRO TSUKADA
  • Publication number: 20240085843
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus including a fixing unit, a folding processing portion, and a pressure-bonding portion. A first recording material having a first basis weight is fixed at a first temperature by the fixing unit and then is pressure-bonded by the pressure-bonding portion after a lapse of a first period. A second recording material having a second basis weight is fixed at a second temperature by the fixing unit and then is pressure-bonded by the pressure-bonding portion after a lapse of a second period. The second basis weight is larger than the first basis weight. The second temperature is higher than the first temperature. The second period is longer than the first period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: NAOYUKI YAMAMOTO, KENICHIRO KITAJIMA, YOSHIRO TSUKADA, TOHRU NAKAEGAWA, KOTA MORI, SHUICHI TAMURA
  • Publication number: 20240027948
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming unit, a varnish applying unit, a control unit that executes an operation in an image forming mode in which a toner image is formed on a recording material and a varnish image is formed on the recording material on which the toner image is formed, and an input unit that permits input of a line width adjusting value of either one of a line width of a portion of the varnish image overlapping with an image portion and a line width of a portion of the varnish image overlapping with a non-image portion, wherein the varnish image is formed so as to extend over an image portion where the toner image is formed on the recording material and a non-image portion where the toner image is not formed on the recording material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Patent number: 11815850
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, a varnish application apparatus, and a controller. When the image forming apparatus is in a standby state and preheating of varnish in a tank by a heater is completed, if an image forming job of forming a toner image on a first recording material and applying varnish thereto by a varnish coater is received, the controller controls a guide member to guide the first recording material to a first conveyance path. When the image forming apparatus is in a standby state and preheating of varnish in the tank by the heater is not completed, if an image forming job of forming a toner image on a second recording material and not applying varnish thereto by the varnish coater is received, the controller controls the guide member to guide the second recording material to a second conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Arimura, Naoyuki Yamamoto, Kenichiro Kitajima, Shuichi Tamura, Ryota Fujioka, Yoshiro Tsukada, Shohei Okumura, Takahiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11772408
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, a pressure sealing processing apparatus, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to permit execution of the pressure sealing processing process by the pressure sealing processing apparatus on a recording material of which a grammage is smaller than a predetermined grammage, and is configured not to permit execution of the pressure sealing processing process by the pressure sealing processing apparatus on a recording material of which a grammage is equal to or more than the predetermined grammage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiro Tsukada, Shohei Okumura, Kota Mori, Kenichiro Kitajima, Tohru Nakaegawa
  • Patent number: 11762321
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming unit, a varnish applying unit, a control unit that executes an operation in an image forming mode in which a toner image is formed on a recording material and a varnish image is formed on the recording material on which the toner image is formed, and an input unit that permits input of a line width adjusting value of either one of a line width of a portion of the varnish image overlapping with an image portion and a line width of a portion of the varnish image overlapping with a non-image portion, wherein the varnish image is formed so as to extend over an image portion where the toner image is formed on the recording material and a non-image portion where the toner image is not formed on the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20230127091
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus configured to form a toner image on a recording material, a varnish application apparatus configured to apply a varnish to the recording material, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to apply a first application amount of varnish to the recording material per unit area in a case of executing the image forming job for forming a varnish layer on a recording material having a first grammage, and is configured to apply a second application amount of varnish to the recording material per unit area in a case of executing the image forming job for forming the varnish layer on a recording material having a second grammage smaller than the first grammage, the second application amount being larger than the first application amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20230129927
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, a varnish application apparatus, and a controller. When the image forming apparatus is in a standby state and preheating of varnish in a tank by a heater is completed, if an image forming job of forming a toner image on a first recording material and applying varnish thereto by a varnish coater is received, the controller controls a guide member to guide the first recording material to a first conveyance path. When the image forming apparatus is in a standby state and preheating of varnish in the tank by the heater is not completed, if an image forming job of forming a toner image on a second recording material and not applying varnish thereto by the varnish coater is received, the controller controls the guide member to guide the second recording material to a second conveyance path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventors: Koji Arimura, Naoyuki Yamamoto, Kenichiro Kitajima, Shuichi Tamura, Ryota Fujioka, Yoshiro Tsukada, Shohei Okumura, Takahiro Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20230127053
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, a varnish application apparatus, and a controller. The varnish application apparatus includes a varnish application unit configured to apply varnish to a recording material, a first conveyance unit configured to convey a recording material in a first conveyance path that passes through the varnish application unit, and a second conveyance unit configured to convey a recording material in a second conveyance path that does not pass through the varnish application unit. When failure is occurred to one or both of the varnish application unit and the first conveyance unit and failure is not occurred to the second conveyance unit, the controller is configured to permit execution of the second image forming job and to convey a recording material by the second conveyance unit in the varnish application apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventors: Koji Arimura, Naoyuki Yamamoto, Kenichiro Kitajima, Shuichi Tamura, Ryota Fujioka, Yoshiro Tsukada, Shohei Okumura, Takahiro Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20230073102
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming unit, a varnish applying unit, a control unit that executes an operation in an image forming mode in which a toner image is formed on a recording material and a varnish image is formed on the recording material on which the toner image is formed, and an input unit that permits input of a line width adjusting value of either one of a line width of a portion of the varnish image overlapping with an image portion and a line width of a portion of the varnish image overlapping with a non-image portion, wherein the varnish image is formed so as to extend over an image portion where the toner image is formed on the recording material and a non-image portion where the toner image is not formed on the recording material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20230069158
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit and a first control unit which controls the image forming unit, a varnish application apparatus provided downstream in a sheet conveyance direction with respect to the image forming apparatus and including a varnish application unit which applies varnish to a sheet and a second control unit which controls the varnish application unit, and a sheet conveyance apparatus provided between the image forming apparatus and the varnish application apparatus in the sheet conveyance direction and including a receiving roller which receives a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus, a processing unit which performs predetermined processing on a sheet present in the sheet conveyance apparatus, and a third control unit which controls the processing unit, wherein the first control unit is capable of communicating with the second control unit and the third control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Takahiro Suzuki, Ryota Fujioka, Yoshiro Tsukada, Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20220134795
    Abstract: An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, a pressure sealing processing apparatus, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to permit execution of the pressure sealing processing process by the pressure sealing processing apparatus on a recording material of which a grammage is smaller than a predetermined grammage, and is configured not to permit execution of the pressure sealing processing process by the pressure sealing processing apparatus on a recording material of which a grammage is equal to or more than the predetermined grammage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Yoshiro Tsukada, Shohei Okumura, Kota Mori, Kenichiro Kitajima, Tohru Nakaegawa
  • Patent number: 10663879
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a charging process of a photosensitive member is performed by forming a combined surface potential Vd(U+L) by superimposing, on a first charge potential Vd(U) formed on a surface of the photosensitive member by a first corona charger, a second charge potential Vd(L) provided by a second corona charger. The apparatus includes a controller for executing an adjusting operation in which a superimposition start voltage Vg(L)A, which is the second voltage Vg(L) at which formation of the combined surface potential Vd(U+L) is started, is acquired by changing the second voltage Vg(L) applied to a grid electrode of the second corona charger in a state that the first charge potential Vd(U) is formed on the surface of the photosensitive member and in which setting of the second voltage Vg(L) during the charging process is adjusted on the basis of the superimposition start voltage Vg(L).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Patent number: 10656581
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a changing portion configured to change, based on a detection result of a temperature sensor, response sensitivity in starting of power supply by a determination portion based on a detection result of a human body detection sensor in a case where a human body approaches the human body detection sensor. The changing portion increases the sensitivity in a case where a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is a second temperature lower than a first temperature than in a case where the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is the first temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahito Fuse, Masami Hano, Kenichiro Kitajima, Tadashi Fukuda, Shota Soda, Hidetaka Nakahara, Hiroyuki Amano
  • Patent number: 10429787
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable photosensitive member, first and second corona chargers, an adjusting mechanism, a developing device, a detecting member configured to detect a surface potential of the photosensitive member at a plurality of positions with respect to the widthwise direction of the photosensitive member, an input portion, and a display portion. In accordance with input of an instruction to the input portion, the detecting portion detects at least two surface potentials of three surface potentials including the surface potential of the photosensitive member after being charged by the first and second corona chargers, the surface potential of the photosensitive member after being charged by the first corona charger, and the surface potential of the photosensitive member after being charged by the second corona charger. A detection result of the detecting member is displayed at the display portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Patent number: 10359728
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a corona charger including a discharging electrode and a grid electrode having a surface layer containing carbon atoms as a main component and configured to electrically charge the photosensitive member under application of a voltage to the discharging electrode and the grid electrode, and an output portion configured to output information on a lifetime of the grid electrode. The output portion outputs the information on the basis of an index value of an amount of use of the grid electrode correlating with a product of a value of a grid current flowing through the grid electrode and a time of flowing of the grid current through the grid electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20190187583
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus 100 in which a charging process of a photosensitive member 1 is performed by forming a combined surface potential Vd(U+L) by superimposing, on a first charge potential Vd(U) formed on a surface of the photosensitive member 1 by a first corona charger 31, a second charge potential Vd(L) provided by the second corona charger 32 has a constitution including a control means 200 for executing an adjusting operation in which a superimposition start voltage Vg(L)A which is the second voltage Vg(L) at which formation of the combined surface potential Vd(U+L) is started is acquired by changing the second voltage Vg(L) applied to a grid electrode of the second corona charger in a state that the first charge potential Vd(U) is formed on the surface of said photosensitive member 1 and in which setting of the second voltage Vg(L) during the charging process is adjusted on the basis of the superimposition start voltage Vg(L).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Patent number: 10228648
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member including a photosensitive layer and a protective layer provided outside the photosensitive layer; a charging member configured to electrically charge the photosensitive member; an exposure device configured to expose, to light, the photosensitive member charged by the charging member; a detecting member configured to detect a surface potential of the photosensitive member; and an output portion configured to output information on a lifetime of the photosensitive member. The output portion outputs the information on the basis of an exposure amount with which the photosensitive member charged is exposed to light and a detection result of the surface potentials of the photosensitive member by the detecting member before and after the photosensitive member is exposed to the light with the exposure amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichiro Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20180284671
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a changing portion configured to change, based on a detection result of a temperature sensor, response sensitivity in starting of power supply by a determination portion based on a detection result of a human body detection sensor in a case where a human body approaches the human body detection sensor. The changing portion increases the sensitivity in a case where a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is a second temperature lower than a first temperature than in a case where the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is the first temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Takahito Fuse, Masami Hano, Kenichiro Kitajima, Tadashi Fukuda, Shota Soda, Hidetaka Nakahara, Hiroyuki Amano