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).

  • Publication number: 20200209800
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member; an exposure portion configured to expose the photosensitive member to light depending on image information to form a latent image on the photosensitive member; a developing portion configured to develop the latent image into a toner image with toner; and a transfer portion configured to transfer the toner image from the photosensitive member onto a recording material. The image forming apparatus changes a surface movement speed of the photosensitive member at timing prior to predetermined timing, when a moving speed of a recording material at the transfer portion changes, by a predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Ai Suzuki, Masashi Tanaka, Shoichiro Ikegami, Kensuke Umeda, Sho Taguchi
  • Patent number: 10642199
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus fixes a toner image on a transfer material at a fixing portion by applying an AC voltage from an AC power source to a fixing unit and includes a conductive pre-transfer guide on a position at which the transfer material nipped by a transfer portion and the fixing portion is in contact therewith. A capacitor and a Zener diode which is connected to the capacitor in parallel and maintains the pre-transfer guide at a predetermined voltage in a state in which a toner image is transferred to the transfer material nipped by the fixing portion and the transfer portion are arranged between the pre-transfer guide and the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Ai Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10627768
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member; an exposure portion configured to expose the photosensitive member to light depending on image information to form a latent image on the photosensitive member; a developing portion configured to develop the latent image into a toner image with toner; and a transfer portion configured to transfer the toner image from the photosensitive member onto a recording material. The image forming apparatus changes a surface movement speed of the photosensitive member at timing prior to predetermined timing, when a moving speed of a recording material at the transfer portion changes, by a predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ai Suzuki, Masashi Tanaka, Shoichiro Ikegami, Kensuke Umeda, Sho Taguchi
  • Patent number: 10564579
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image to a recording material includes a cylindrical film, a heater configured to make contact with the film, the heater including a substrate and a heat generation resistor formed on the substrate, and a heat conduction member configured to make contact with a surface of the heater opposite to a surface thereof being in contact with the film, the heat conduction member having a higher thermal conductivity than that of the substrate, and being divided into parts in a generatrix direction of the film. The toner image formed on the recording material is fixed on the recording material by using heat of the film, and one of the parts of the heat conduction member is configured to make contact with the heater continuously from a center to an end of a heat generation region of the heater in the generatrix direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Ogawa, Takashi Narahara, Toru Imaizumi, Yasuhito Minamishima, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Masashi Tanaka, Kensuke Umeda
  • Patent number: 10488795
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a belt, a heater, and a pressing member for forming a nip through the belt in cooperation with the heater. The nip includes a region at which a width of the nip with respect to a feeding direction of a recording material gradually increases from a longitudinal central portion toward a longitudinal end portion, and a pressure of the nip gradually increases from the longitudinal central portion toward the longitudinal end portion. A heat-conductive member includes a regulating portion for regulating movement thereof relative to a supporting member in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The regulating portion is provided in a region of the heat-conductive member corresponding to a position of the nip closer to the longitudinal end portion than to the longitudinal central portion, and a bias member is provided outside of the region of the heat-conductive member corresponding to the position of the nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Tanaka, Shoichiro Ikegami, Kensuke Umeda, Sho Taguchi, Ai Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10429777
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a tubular film, an elongate heater, a roller, and a lubricant interposed between the heater and the film. A temperature detecting member detects a temperature of the heater, a controller controls electrical power supplied to the heater so that a temperature detected by the temperature detecting member reaches a target temperature, and a guide member guides the film. The guide member has a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the inner surface of the film. In a longitudinal direction of the guide member, a first region of the guide member corresponds to the temperature detecting member, and a second region of the guide member does not correspond to the temperature detecting member. In addition, a width of one protrusion located at the first region is greater than a width of some of the plurality protrusions located at the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kensuke Umeda, Masashi Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20190137909
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus fixes a toner image on a transfer material at a fixing portion by applying an AC voltage from an AC power source to a fixing unit and includes a conductive pre-transfer guide on a position at which the transfer material nipped by a transfer portion and the fixing portion is in contact therewith. A capacitor and a Zener diode which is connected to the capacitor in parallel and maintains the pre-transfer guide at a predetermined voltage in a state in which a toner image is transferred to the transfer material nipped by the fixing portion and the transfer portion are arranged between the pre-transfer guide and the ground.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Inventors: Kensuke Umeda, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Ai Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20190004460
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image to a recording material includes a cylindrical film, a heater configured to make contact with the film, the heater including a substrate and a heat generation resistor formed on the substrate, and a heat conduction member configured to make contact with a surface of the heater opposite to a surface thereof being in contact with the film, the heat conduction member having a higher thermal conductivity than that of the substrate, and being divided into parts in a generatrix direction of the film. The toner image formed on the recording material is fixed on the recording material by using heat of the film, and one of the parts of the heat conduction member is configured to make contact with the heater continuously from a center to an end of a heat generation region of the heater in the generatrix direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventors: Kenichi Ogawa, Takashi Narahara, Toru Imaizumi, Yasuhito Minamishima, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Masashi Tanaka, Kensuke Umeda
  • Publication number: 20180348677
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a tubular film, an elongate heater, a roller, and a lubricant interposed between the heater and the film. A temperature detecting member detects a temperature of the heater, a controller controls electrical power supplied to the heater so that a temperature detected by the temperature detecting member reaches a target temperature, and a guide member guides the film. The guide member has a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the inner surface of the film. In a longitudinal direction of the guide member, a first region of the guide member corresponds to the temperature detecting member, and a second region of the guide member does not correspond to the temperature detecting member. In addition, a width of one protrusion located at the first region is greater than a width of some of the plurality protrusions located at the second region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Kensuke Umeda, Masashi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10120308
    Abstract: An image heating device includes a rotator, a heater including a heat generating resistor, a connector electrically connected to the heater, and a power interrupting unit that detects an abnormal temperature rise of the heater and interrupt supply of the power to the heater. The power interrupting unit includes a first terminal and a second terminal, a first conductive sheet metal that electrically connects the connector to the first terminal, a second conductive sheet metal that to electrically connects the connector to the second terminal via the heat generating resistor, a length of the second conductive sheet metal being different from a length of the first conductive sheet metal in the longitudinal direction of the heater, and a supporting member supporting the heater and including a regulation portion that regulates rotation of the power interrupting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takaaki Akamatsu, Masashi Tanaka, Kensuke Umeda, Shoichiro Ikegami, Sho Taguchi, Ai Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10095165
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image to a recording material includes a cylindrical film, a heater configured to make contact with the film, the heater including a substrate and a heat generation resistor formed on the substrate, and a heat conduction member configured to make contact with a surface of the heater opposite to a surface thereof being in contact with the film, the heat conduction member having a higher thermal conductivity than that of the substrate, and being divided into parts in a generatrix direction of the film. The toner image formed on the recording material is fixed on the recording material by using heat of the film, and one of the parts of the heat conduction member is configured to make contact with the heater continuously from a center to an end of a heat generation region of the heater in the generatrix direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Ogawa, Takashi Narahara, Toru Imaizumi, Yasuhito Minamishima, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Masashi Tanaka, Kensuke Umeda
  • Patent number: 10067447
    Abstract: A first region of a guide surface of a guide member, being in contact with an inner surface of a film on an upstream side of a heater in a rotation direction of the film, has a higher percentage of the protrusions per unit length in a longitudinal direction of the guide member than a second region of the guide surface, and the first and second regions are a region of the guide surface that overlaps a temperature detecting member and a region of the guide surface that does not overlap the temperature detecting member, respectively, in the longitudinal direction of the guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kensuke Umeda, Masashi Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20180024481
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Inventors: Kensuke Umeda, Masashi Tanaka, Shoichiro Ikegami, Sho Taguchi, Ai Suzuki, Hikaru Osada, Toru Imaizumi
  • Publication number: 20180024478
    Abstract: An image heating device includes a rotator, a heater including a heat generating resistor, a connector electrically connected to the heater, and a power interrupting unit that detects an abnormal temperature rise of the heater and interrupt supply of the power to the heater. The power interrupting unit includes a first terminal and a second terminal, a first conductive sheet metal that electrically connects the connector to the first terminal, a second conductive sheet metal that to electrically connects the connector to the second terminal via the heat generating resistor, a length of the second conductive sheet metal being different from a length of the first conductive sheet metal in the longitudinal direction of the heater, and a supporting member supporting the heater and including a regulation portion that regulates rotation of the power interrupting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Inventors: Takaaki Akamatsu, Masashi Tanaka, Kensuke Umeda, Shoichiro Ikegami, Sho Taguchi, Ai Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20170308025
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member; an exposure portion configured to expose the photosensitive member to light depending on image information to form a latent image on the photosensitive member; a developing portion configured to develop the latent image into a toner image with toner; and a transfer portion configured to transfer the toner image from the photosensitive member onto a recording material. The image forming apparatus changes a surface movement speed of the photosensitive member at timing prior to predetermined timing, when a moving speed of a recording material at the transfer portion changes, by a predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: Ai Suzuki, Masashi Tanaka, Shoichiro Ikegami, Kensuke Umeda, Sho Taguchi
  • Publication number: 20170219969
    Abstract: A first region of a guide surface of a guide member, being in contact with an inner surface of a film on an upstream side of a heater in a rotation direction of the film, has a higher percentage of the protrusions per unit length in a longitudinal direction of the guide member than a second region of the guide surface, and the first and second regions are a region of the guide surface that overlaps a temperature detecting member and a region of the guide surface that does not overlap the temperature detecting member, respectively, in the longitudinal direction of the guide member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Kensuke Umeda, Masashi Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20170102651
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a cylindrical belt; a heater including an elongated substrate and a heat generating resistor provided on the substrate; a heat-conductive member contacting a surface of the heater opposite from a belt contacting surface of the heater, and having thermal conductivity higher than that of the substrate; a supporting member; and a pressing member. The nip includes a region where a width of the nip with respect to a feeding direction of the recording material gradually increases from a longitudinal central portion toward a longitudinal end portion. The heat-conductive member includes a preventing portion for preventing movement thereof relative to the supporting member in a longitudinal direction of the heater. The preventing portion is provided in a region of the heat-conductive member corresponding to a position of the nip closer to the longitudinal end portion than to the longitudinal central portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: Masashi Tanaka, Shoichiro Ikegami, Kensuke Umeda, Sho Taguchi, Ai Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20170031284
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image to a recording material includes a cylindrical film, a heater configured to make contact with the film, the heater including a substrate and a heat generation resistor formed on the substrate, and a heat conduction member configured to make contact with a surface of the heater opposite to a surface thereof being in contact with the film, the heat conduction member having a higher thermal conductivity than that of the substrate, and being divided into parts in a generatrix direction of the film. The toner image formed on the recording material is fixed on the recording material by using heat of the film, and one of the parts of the heat conduction member is configured to make contact with the heater continuously from a center to an end of a heat generation region of the heater in the generatrix direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Inventors: Kenichi Ogawa, Takashi Narahara, Toru Imaizumi, Yasuhito Minamishima, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Masashi Tanaka, Kensuke Umeda
  • Patent number: 9501012
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus for fixing a toner image to a recording material includes a cylindrical film, a heater configured to make contact with the film, the heater including a substrate and a heat generation resistor formed on the substrate, and a heat conduction member configured to make contact with a surface of the heater opposite to a surface thereof being in contact with the film, the heat conduction member having a higher thermal conductivity than that of the substrate, and being divided into parts in a generatrix direction of the film. The toner image formed on the recording material is fixed on the recording material by using heat of the film, and one of the parts of the heat conduction member is configured to make contact with the heater continuously from a center to an end of a heat generation region of the heater in the generatrix direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Ogawa, Takashi Narahara, Toru Imaizumi, Yasuhito Minamishima, Tsuguhiro Yoshida, Masashi Tanaka, Kensuke Umeda
  • Patent number: 9335688
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion; and a fixing portion. The fixing portion includes a cylindrical film, a nip-forming member and a roller including a shaft portion and an elastic layer. The elastic layer contacts an outer surface of the film except an end region of the film with respect to a generatrix direction. In the end region, the shaft portion and the outer surface of the film oppose each other with a spatial region with respect to a radial direction of the shaft portion. The image forming apparatus includes a spacer occupying at least a part of the spatial region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takanori Mitani, Satoshi Nishida, Hideo Nanataki, Akimichi Suzuki, Shogo Kan, Kensuke Umeda, Takaaki Akamatsu