Patents by Inventor Kentarou Tomoe

Kentarou Tomoe 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: 10457507
    Abstract: A supply unit holds a supply unit including a pickup roller for supplying a sheet, enables the supply unit including the pickup roller to be installed into an image forming apparatus, and includes a roller-protecting member. The roller-protecting member has a roller-protecting surface that covers the pickup roller of the supply unit and includes engaging pawls that can engage and integrally hold the supply unit including the pickup roller with the roller-protecting surface covering the pickup roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentarou Tomoe, Yasuhiko Fuse
  • Publication number: 20190023509
    Abstract: A supply unit holds a supply unit including a pickup roller for supplying a sheet, enables the supply unit including the pickup roller to be installed into an image forming apparatus, and includes a roller-protecting member. The roller-protecting member has a roller-protecting surface that covers the pickup roller of the supply unit and includes engaging pawls that can engage and integrally hold the supply unit including the pickup roller with the roller-protecting surface covering the pickup roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Kentarou Tomoe, Yasuhiko Fuse
  • Patent number: 10106348
    Abstract: A supply unit holds a supply unit including a pickup roller for supplying a sheet, enables the supply unit including the pickup roller to be installed into an image forming apparatus, and includes a roller-protecting member. The roller-protecting member has a roller-protecting surface that covers the pickup roller of the supply unit and includes engaging pawls that can engage and integrally hold the supply unit including the pickup roller with the roller-protecting surface covering the pickup roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentarou Tomoe, Yasuhiko Fuse
  • Publication number: 20170131674
    Abstract: A supply unit holds a supply unit including a pickup roller for supplying a sheet, enables the supply unit including the pickup roller to be installed into an image forming apparatus, and includes a roller-protecting member. The roller-protecting member has a roller-protecting surface that covers the pickup roller of the supply unit and includes engaging pawls that can engage and integrally hold the supply unit including the pickup roller with the roller-protecting surface covering the pickup roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Kentarou Tomoe, Yasuhiko Fuse
  • Patent number: 9588474
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet stacking portion, a feed portion, a transfer portion transferring a toner image on a sheet fed by the feed portion, and a switching portion. The switching portion switches the sheet stacking portion between a grounded condition in which the sheet stacking portion is electrically earthed and an insulated condition in which the sheet stacking portion is electrically insulated. The sheet stacking portion is switched into the insulated condition in a state in which the transfer bias is applied and the sheet stacking portion is switched into the grounded condition in a state in which no transfer bias is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentarou Tomoe, Takateru Ohkubo, Keita Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20160124350
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet stacking portion, a feed portion, a transfer portion transferring a toner image on a sheet fed by the feed portion, and a switching portion. The switching portion switches the sheet stacking portion between a grounded condition in which the sheet stacking portion is electrically earthed and an insulated condition in which the sheet stacking portion is electrically insulated. The sheet stacking portion is switched into the insulated condition in a state in which the transfer bias is applied and the sheet stacking portion is switched into the grounded condition in a state in which no transfer bias is applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Kentarou Tomoe, Takateru Ohkubo, Keita Nakajima
  • Patent number: 9256183
    Abstract: A sheet storing portion is maintained in a state in which a sheet stacking portion on which sheets are stacked is electrically insulated, when the sheet storing portion is contained in a containing portion of an image forming apparatus body at the time of formation of an image. The sheet stacking portion is switched from the insulation state to a grounding state in which the sheet stacking portion is grounded through a ground portion by a switching portion through an operation of drawing the sheet storing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takateru Ohkubo, Keita Nakajima, Kentarou Tomoe, Akira Matsushima
  • Publication number: 20150016856
    Abstract: A sheet storing portion is maintained in a state in which a sheet stacking portion on which sheets are stacked is electrically insulated, when the sheet storing portion is contained in a containing portion of an image forming apparatus body at the time of formation of an image. The sheet stacking portion is switched from the insulation state to a grounding state in which the sheet stacking portion is grounded through a ground portion by a switching portion through an operation of drawing the sheet storing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Takateru Ohkubo, Keita Nakajima, Kentarou Tomoe, Akira Matsushima