Patents by Inventor Kensuke Umeda
Kensuke Umeda 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: 11960232Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive member, a charging member, a developing device, a transfer member, a brush, a driving source and a control portion. The control portion controls the driving source to execute an image forming process in which image formation on the recording material is executed and a non-image-forming process in which the photosensitive member is driven to rotate other than in the image forming process. The non-image-forming process between a first recording material and a second recording material, to which the image formation is executed following the first recording material, is defined as a first non-image-forming process, and the non-image-forming process between the second recording material and a third recording material is defined as a second non-image-forming process.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2023Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ai Suzuki, Kensuke Umeda, Kazuhiro Funatani, Shinsuke Kobayashi
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Publication number: 20240111236Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a charging member, a developing member, a transfer member, a brush, a drive unit, a control unit, and a memory. The charging member charges a surface of the photosensitive drum at a charging portion. The transfer member comes into contact with the photosensitive drum to form a transfer portion. The drive unit rotatably drive the photosensitive drum. The control unit controls the drive unit to perform an image forming operation. The memory stores information about the image forming operation. In a case where the image forming operation is performed and a non-image forming operation is performed after the image forming operation, the control unit performs control such that a switching operation for stopping the photosensitive drum after the photosensitive drum is driven and re-driving the photosensitive drum is performed a plurality of times based on the information about the image forming operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2023Publication date: April 4, 2024Inventors: SHINSUKE KOBAYASHI, TOSHIHIKO TAKAYAMA, KENSUKE UMEDA, AI SUZUKI
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Patent number: 11947280Abstract: A mechanism that enables developer replenishment by a simpler structure and a mechanism that enables more user-friendly developer replenishment are provided. An attachment port to which a developer supply bottle containing a developer stored therein is detachably attachable is disposed in an interior of an image forming apparatus. The developer supply bottle can be attached when the cover is in an open state. According to this image forming apparatus, when the developer supply bottle is attached to the attachment port, the developer inside the developer supply bottle moves into a developer housing chamber by its own weight.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2022Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuhiro Funatani, Masatake Tanaka, Kentaro Yamawaki, Kenichi Iida, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kensuke Umeda, Takanori Watanabe, Ai Suzuki
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Publication number: 20240077823Abstract: An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable and detachable includes a replenishment port to allow replenishment of toner from the replenishment container, an opening/closing portion to open the replenishment port in an open position and close the replenishment port in a closed position, a locking member to move between a restricting position in which the locking member restricts movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position, and an allowing position in which the movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position is allowed. A developer container accepts more toner for replenishment in a case where a second display is in a second state than in a first state, and a first display more accurately displays information related to the toner accommodated in the developer container than the second display.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2023Publication date: March 7, 2024Inventors: Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kazuhiro Funatani, Takanori Watanabe, Ai Suzuki
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Patent number: 11886141Abstract: An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is attachable and detachable includes an opening/closing portion moving from a closed position to an open position in a case where the toner replenishment container attached to a replenishment port is rotated, and a locking membered to move between a restricting position restricting movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position, and an allowing position in which the movement of the opening/closing portion from the closed position to the open position is allowed. In addition, a controller, in a case where a replenishment operation, in which toner is supplied from the replenishment container to the replenishment port, displays, on a display, a ratio corresponding to an amount of toner accommodated in the developer container after the replenishment operation.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2022Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kazuhiro Funatani, Takanori Watanabe, Ai Suzuki
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Publication number: 20230418192Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, first and second rotating members, and a discharge unit to discharge a recording material to an outside. The fixing unit fixes an image from the image forming unit onto the recording material. The first rotating member comes into contact with and guides the image bearing recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The second rotating member comes into contact with the image bearing recording material more on a downstream side than the first rotating member in a conveyance direction of the recording material, guides the recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The first rotating member does not perform swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material, and the second rotating member performs swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2023Publication date: December 28, 2023Inventors: Ai Suzuki, Osamu Sasaoka, Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi
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Patent number: 11841655Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating rotating member having a conductive layer and an exposed portion in which the conductive layer is partially exposed, and a roller including a metal core and an elastic portion, the roller forming a nip portion with the heating rotating member, the elastic portion being elastically deformed in a region where the nip portion is formed, wherein an annular conductive member provided in a longitudinal end portion of the metal core is in contact with the exposed portion of the heating rotating member while elastically deformed, and wherein in a state where the roller is not mounted to the fixing device, an outer diameter of the conductive member is smaller than an outer diameter of the elastic portion.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2020Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kensuke Umeda, Masashi Tanaka, Shoichiro Ikegami, Sho Taguchi, Ai Suzuki, Hikaru Osada, Toru Imaizumi
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Publication number: 20230384722Abstract: An image forming apparatus controls the number of rotations of a photosensitive drum based on information related to the use of the photosensitive drum and a suspension time in a rotation operation of rotating the photosensitive drum after a lapse of the suspension time between a first image forming operation of forming an image on a transfer material and a second image forming operation performed after the first image forming operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2023Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Shinsuke Kobayashi, Ai Suzuki, Kensuke Umeda, Kazuhiro Funatani
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Patent number: 11829105Abstract: An image forming method comprising a fixing step of fixing a toner image to a recording material while nipping and conveying the recording material, on which the toner image has been formed, by a fixing nip portion, wherein the toner comprises a toner particle comprising a toner base particle and an organosilicon polymer on a surface thereof, the organosilicon polymer has a structure represented by R—SiO3/2, where R is an C1 to C6 alkyl group or a phenyl group, the organosilicon polymer has convex portions formed on an outer surface thereof, and the convex portions satisfy specific relationships, and a contact pressure ? (MPa) of the pressure member and the fixing film and a storage elastic modulus G (MPa) of the toner at a temperature of a surface of the fixing film when the recording material is nipped and conveyed by the fixing nip portion satisfy specific relationships.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2021Date of Patent: November 28, 2023Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Ai Suzuki, Kazuhiro Funatani, Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Masamichi Sato, Masatake Tanaka
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Publication number: 20230341807Abstract: Provided are an image bearing member; a charging member that charges the image bearing member; an exposure unit that exposes the image bearing member; a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image as a developer image by supplying a developer, charged to regular polarity, to the image bearing member; a transfer member that transfers the developer image to a transfer-receiving body; and a collecting member that collects a deposit on the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion of the image bearing member at which the developer image is transferred to the transfer-receiving body by the transfer member, and upstream of a charging portion of the image bearing member charged by the charging member, in a rotation direction of the image bearing member. After transfer of the developer image to the transfer-receiving body, the developer remaining on the image bearing member is collected by the developing unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2023Publication date: October 26, 2023Inventors: Kazuhiro Funatani, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kensuke Umeda, Takanori Watanabe, Ai Suzuki
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Publication number: 20230324825Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an electrostatic image forming portion, a developing member, a transfer member, a transfer voltage source, a brush member, a brush voltage source, and a controller capable of executing a cleaning operation. The controller carries out control so that the cleaning operation includes a first operation in which a potential difference is formed between the transfer member and the photosensitive member so that toner charged to a normal charge polarity is moved from the transfer member toward the photosensitive member, and a second operation in which a potential difference is formed between the brush member and the photosensitive member so that the toner charged to the normal charge polarity is moved from the photosensitive member toward the brush member.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2023Publication date: October 12, 2023Inventors: Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kensuke Umeda, Ai Suzuki, Kazuhiro Funatani, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Jun Hara
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Patent number: 11782365Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, first and second rotating members, and a discharge unit to discharge a recording material to an outside. The fixing unit fixes an image from the image forming unit onto the recording material. The first rotating member comes into contact with and guides the image bearing recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The second rotating member comes into contact with the image bearing recording material more on a downstream side than the first rotating member in a conveyance direction of the recording material, guides the recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The first rotating member does not perform swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material, and the second rotating member performs swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2022Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ai Suzuki, Osamu Sasaoka, Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi
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Patent number: 11768456Abstract: An image forming apparatus controls the number of rotations of a photosensitive drum based on information related to the use of the photosensitive drum and a suspension time in a rotation operation of rotating the photosensitive drum after a lapse of the suspension time between a first image forming operation of forming an image on a transfer material and a second image forming operation performed after the first image forming operation.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2022Date of Patent: September 26, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shinsuke Kobayashi, Ai Suzuki, Kensuke Umeda, Kazuhiro Funatani
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Patent number: 11747753Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a transfer member, a transfer power source, and a control unit. At a start time of a start-up operation at the time of starting an image forming operation, on the surface of the photosensitive member, a first position coincides with a charging position, and a third position coincides with a transfer position. During a period in which an area on the photosensitive member located between the first position and the third position in a rotation direction of the photosensitive member passes the transfer position, the control unit performs control of applying a first voltage having the same polarity as a normal charging polarity of toner to the transfer member by the transfer power source, and, at a predetermined timing, changing a voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage having an absolute value less than that of the first voltage.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2022Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kazuhiro Funatani, Kensuke Umeda, Takanori Watanabe, Ai Suzuki
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Patent number: 11720046Abstract: Provided are an image bearing member; a charging member that charges the image bearing member; an exposure unit that exposes the image bearing member; a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image as a developer image by supplying a developer, charged to regular polarity, to the image bearing member; a transfer member that transfers the developer image to a transfer-receiving body; and a collecting member that collects a deposit on the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion of the image bearing member at which the developer image is transferred to the transfer-receiving body by the transfer member, and upstream of a charging portion of the image bearing member charged by the charging member, in a rotation direction of the image bearing member. After transfer of the developer image to the transfer-receiving body, the developer remaining on the image bearing member is collected by the developing unit.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2022Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuhiro Funatani, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kensuke Umeda, Takanori Watanabe, Ai Suzuki
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Patent number: 11703775Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an electrostatic image forming portion, a developing member, a transfer member, a transfer voltage source, a brush member, a brush voltage source, and a controller capable of executing a cleaning operation. The controller carries out control so that the cleaning operation includes a first operation in which a potential difference is formed between the transfer member and the photosensitive member so that toner charged to a normal charge polarity is moved from the transfer member toward the photosensitive member, and a second operation in which a potential difference is formed between the brush member and the photosensitive member so that the toner charged to the normal charge polarity is moved from the photosensitive member toward the brush member.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2021Date of Patent: July 18, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kensuke Umeda, Ai Suzuki, Kazuhiro Funatani, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Jun Hara
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Publication number: 20230221676Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive member, a charging member, a developing device, a transfer member, a brush, a driving source and a control portion. The control portion controls the driving source to execute an image forming process in which image formation to the recording material is executed and a non-image-forming process in which the photosensitive member is driven to rotate other than the image forming process. The non-image-forming process between a first recording material and a second recording material to which the image formation is executed following the first recording material is defined as a first non-image-forming process, and the non-image-forming process between the second recording material and a third recording material is defined as a second non-image-forming process.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 9, 2023Publication date: July 13, 2023Inventors: AI SUZUKI, KENSUKE UMEDA, KAZUHIRO FUNATANI, SHINSUKE KOBAYASHI
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Publication number: 20230168623Abstract: An image forming apparatus to and from which a replenishment container accommodating toner is detachable and which forms an image on a recording material includes an apparatus body, and a cartridge including an image bearing member, a developer container to accommodate toner, and a developing portion to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member into a toner image by using the toner. A replenishment port allows replenishment of toner from the replenishment container, which is arranged outside of the image forming apparatus, to the developer container therethrough in a state where the replenishment container is attached to the replenishment port, and a controller notifies a user of information related to a toner amount if it is determined that a lifetime of the cartridge will expire before a sum of toner accommodated in the developer container and toner accommodated in the replenishment container is consumed.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2023Publication date: June 1, 2023Inventors: Ryo Morihara, Kensuke Umeda
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Patent number: 11656568Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a setting unit configured to set an operation mode, and a processing unit configured to perform image processing on image data according to the operation mode. In a case when a first mode is set, the image processing includes determining, in the image data, one or more target pixels having a gradation value equal to or higher than a first threshold value, and one or more adjacent pixels that are different from the one or more target pixels and adjacent to the one or more target pixels, setting a first gradation value lower than the first threshold value as a gradation value of the one or more target pixels, and setting a second gradation value higher than the first gradation value as a gradation value of the one or more adjacent pixels.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2022Date of Patent: May 23, 2023Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Ai Suzuki, Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi
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Patent number: 11624989Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developer bearing member, a frame having a storage member, and a first temperature detection unit. The storage member is for storing a developer for the developer bearing member to record an image on a recording material. The storage member includes an attachment part in which a supply container enclosing a developer is removably attachable to the attachment part. With reference to a recording material conveyance path having a center in a width direction of the recording material that is orthogonal to a recording material conveyance direction and in a case where an area on one side of the conveyance path center is a first area and the area on the other side of the conveyance path center is a second area, the attachment part is arranged in the first area and the first temperature detection unit is arranged in the second area.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2021Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Ai Suzuki