Patents by Inventor Kenji Tobe

Kenji Tobe 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: 10632738
    Abstract: A liquid transfer apparatus includes: rollers configured to transfer supplied liquid to a blanket cylinder; a roller holding device configured to detachably hold the rollers and perform a rotating operation to move any one of the rollers to a predetermined position facing the blanket cylinder; and a contact-separation unit configured to bring the roller held by the roller holding device and disposed at the predetermined position into and out of contact with the blanket cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: KOMORI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Hiromichi Shimokawa, Tomoya Miyoshi, Masaya Tateno, Atsushi Ohnami
  • Publication number: 20180178504
    Abstract: A liquid transfer apparatus includes: rollers configured to transfer supplied liquid to a blanket cylinder; a roller holding device configured to detachably hold the rollers and perform a rotating operation to move any one of the rollers to a predetermined position facing the blanket cylinder; and a contact-separation unit configured to bring the roller held by the roller holding device and disposed at the predetermined position into and out of contact with the blanket cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: KOMORI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji TOBE, Hiromichi SHIMOKAWA, Tomoya MIYOSHI, Masaya TATENO, Atsushi OHNAMI
  • Patent number: 6854392
    Abstract: A plate changing apparatus includes a loader, air cylinder, and removed plate recovery section. The loader is supported by a frame to be movable substantially parallel to a sheet convey direction, and feeds a new plate to a plate cylinder. The air cylinder moves the loader from a retreat position to a wait position close to the plate cylinder during plate changing. The removed plate recovery section is fixed to the frame and recovers an old plate discharged from the plate cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Tobe
  • Patent number: 6814003
    Abstract: A plate handling method and apparatus for a printing press that includes printing units, each having a plate cylinder, a main unit motor for driving the plate cylinders, and electromagnetic clutches disposed between the main unit motor and the printing units for transmitting and cutting off a drive force from the main unit motor to the printing units, and is adapted to rotate the plate cylinders upon the drive by the main unit motor and change plates. The electromagnetic clutch of the printing unit is disengaged, when an abnormality in changing of the plate was detected by any of sensors provided in each printing unit for detecting an abnormality in plate changing, to cut off the drive by the main unit motor, but continue plate changing in the other printing units by the drive force from the main unit motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Kazunori Takeda
  • Patent number: 6802257
    Abstract: A plate inserting apparatus includes a loader, a first regulating member, a second regulating member, and support plates, oscillating rollers, air cylinders, a shaft, and bars. The loader holds a new plate inserted in a lateral direction and feeds the new plate to a plate cylinder. The first regulating member regulates a position of one side edge of the new plate inserted in the loader. The second regulating member regulates a position of the other side edge of the new plate inserted in the loader, thus positioning the new plate in a widthwise direction in cooperation with the first regulating member. The support plates, oscillating rollers, air cylinders, shaft, and bars move the new plate inserted in the loader in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plate surface, thus accommodating the new plate between the first and second regulating members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Shinichi Fujishiro
  • Publication number: 20040168600
    Abstract: A plate inserting apparatus includes a loader, a first regulating member, a second regulating member, and support plates, oscillating rollers, air cylinders, a shaft, and bars. The loader holds a new plate inserted in a lateral direction and feeds the new plate to a plate cylinder. The first regulating member regulates a position of one side edge of the new plate inserted in the loader. The second regulating member regulates a position of the other side edge of the new plate inserted in the loader, thus positioning the new plate in a widthwise direction in cooperation with the first regulating member. The support plates, oscillating rollers, air cylinders, shaft, and bars move the new plate inserted in the loader in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plate surface, thus accommodating the new plate between the first and second regulating members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2003
    Publication date: September 2, 2004
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Shinichi Fujishiro
  • Publication number: 20040069170
    Abstract: A plate changing apparatus includes a loader, air cylinder, and removed plate recovery section. The loader is supported by a frame to be movable substantially parallel to a sheet convey direction, and feeds a new plate to a plate cylinder. The air cylinder moves the loader from a retreat position to a wait position close to the plate cylinder during plate changing. The removed plate recovery section is fixed to the frame and recovers an old plate discharged from the plate cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventor: Kenji Tobe
  • Publication number: 20030183108
    Abstract: A plate handling method and apparatus for a printing press that includes printing units, each having a plate cylinder, a main unit motor for driving the plate cylinders, and electromagnetic clutches disposed between the main unit motor and the printing units for transmitting and cutting off a drive force from the main unit motor to the printing units, and is adapted to rotate the plate cylinders upon the drive by the main unit motor and change plates. The electromagnetic clutch of the printing unit is disengaged, when an abnormality in changing of the plate was detected by any of sensors provided in each printing unit for detecting an abnormality in plate changing, to cut off the drive by the main unit motor, but continue plate changing in the other printing units by the drive force from the main unit motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Publication date: October 2, 2003
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Kazunori Takeda
  • Patent number: 6601511
    Abstract: A device for holding a printing plate comprises guide frames having a storing space for storing a discharged printing plate discharged from an upper plate cylinder a guide member an actuator for moving the discharged printing plate discharged from the upper plate cylinder between an operation position for storing the discharged printing plate in the storing space and a shelter position released from the upper plate cylinder and a hook element for holding the discharged printing plate in the storing space, a downstream side of the storing space located at the shelter position along a discharged printing plate storing direction is lower than an upstream side thereof and the downstream side of the storing space located at the operation position along a discharged printing plate storing direction is higher than the upstream thereof in order to pick-up/insert a discharged/new printing plate easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Tobe
  • Patent number: 6502507
    Abstract: A printing press has a support arm that can move between lower and upper positions, first and second link plates swingably supported by a main frame and the support arm, respectively. A connection pin having a protruding end portion is provided to connect the link plates. A support lever, swingably supported by the main frame, has an engagement groove which disengageably engages with the protruding end portion of the connection pin. When the support arm moves from the lower position to the upper position, the protruding end portion of the connection pin comes into contact with the edge surface of a lower portion of the support lever, and swings the support lever. When the protruding end portion of the connection pin reaches the engagement groove of the support lever, the protruding end portion engages with the engagement groove, so that the support arm is held at the upper position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Tobe
  • Patent number: 6467412
    Abstract: A printing press comprises a pair of left- and right-frames, a safety cover movably supported between a closing position for closing at least one part of a space formed between the frames and a releasing position for releasing the space and a printing plate holding device movably supported at an exterior side with respect to the safety cover between a shelter position for holding a new printing plate supplied to a lower plate cylinder and a discharged printing plate discharged from the lower plate cylinder and an operation position for storing the new printing plate supplied to the lower plate cylinder or the discharged printing plate discharged from the lower plate cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Shinichi Fujishiro
  • Patent number: 6393986
    Abstract: A device for holding a printing plate with a simple structure in order to pick-up a discharged printing plate and set a new printing plate in an easy manner. In a device for holding a printing plate that includes guide frames and a guide member with a storing space for storing a discharged printing plate discharged from a plate cylinder. The device is an actuator for moving the discharged printing plate discharged from the plate cylinder between an operation position for storing in the storing space and a shelter position for releasing the discharged printing plate from the plate cylinder. The device includes a hook member for engaging with an end portion of the discharged printing plate in the storing space in the case the members are moved to the operation position by the actuator and releasing the discharged printing plate from the storing space in the case that the member are moved to the shelter position by the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Shinichi Fujishiro
  • Patent number: 6386101
    Abstract: A printing press includes an L-shaped support arm swingably supported by a main frame such that a distal end thereof can move between lower and upper positions, a support frame swingably supported at the distal end of the support arm such that the other end thereof can move between upper and lower positions, swing arms swingably supported by the main frame such that the distal ends thereof can move between lower and upper positions, gas springs for applying force to the corresponding swing arms to move the distal end portions of the swing arms upward, an engagement pin attached to the support frame, and an engagement member attached to the swing arms and into which the engagement pin is inserted and has an engagement groove formed therein to open upward when the distal ends of the swing arms are situated at the upper position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Komori Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Kazuya Iyokawa
  • Publication number: 20010042464
    Abstract: A printing press has a support arm that can move between lower and upper positions, first and second link plates swingably supported by a main frame and the support arm, respectively. A connection pin having a protruding end portion is provided to connect the link plates. A support lever, swingably supported by the main frame, has an engagement groove which disengageably engages with the protruding end portion of the connection pin. When the support arm moves from the lower position to the upper position, the protruding end portion of the connection pin comes into contact with the edge surface of a lower portion of the support lever, and swings the support lever. When the protruding end portion of the connection pin reaches the engagement groove of the support lever, the protruding end portion engages with the engagement groove, so that the support arm is held at the upper position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2001
    Publication date: November 22, 2001
    Inventor: Kenji Tobe
  • Publication number: 20010042465
    Abstract: A printing press includes an L-shaped support arm swingably supported by a main frame such that a distal end thereof can move between lower and upper positions, a support frame swingably supported at the distal end of the support arm such that the other end thereof can move between upper and lower positions, swing arms swingably supported by the main frame such that the distal ends thereof can move between lower and upper positions, gas springs for applying force to the corresponding swing arms to move the distal end portions of the swing arms upward, an engagement pin attached to the support frame, and an engagement member attached to the swing arms and into which the engagement pin is inserted and has an engagement groove formed therein to open upward when the distal ends of the swing arms are situated at the upper position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2001
    Publication date: November 22, 2001
    Inventors: Kenji Tobe, Kazuya Iyokawa