Patents by Inventor Kotaro Fujishiro

Kotaro Fujishiro 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: 11662676
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, upon receipt of a printing instruction, a controller starts rotation of a heating member, starts rotation of a photoconductor drum when a standby time has elapsed from a time of the start of the rotation of the heating member, starts conveyance of a sheet after the start of the rotation of the photoconductor drum, and forms a toner image on the sheet after the start of the conveyance of the sheet. The controller is configured to be operated in one of selectable modes including a multicolor mode in which a toner image is formed using both of toner of a first color and a second color and a monochrome mode in which a toner image is formed using toner of the second color only. The standby time adopted in the monochrome mode is longer than the standby time adopted in the multicolor mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Soun Kanada, Yuki Fukusada, Tatsuya Koyama, Kotaro Fujishiro
  • Publication number: 20230032807
    Abstract: There is provided image forming apparatus including: casing; temperature sensor configured to detect temperature in the casing; image forming unit configured to form toner image on sheet; fuser which has heating member configured to heat the sheet, and which is configured to fix the toner image to the sheet; a fan; and a controller. The controller is configured to execute: changing of driving speed of the fan; and waiting control including: stopping supply, to the image forming unit, of next sheet, before the changing of the driving speed; completing the fixing of the toner image to the sheet, before the changing of the driving speed; and restarting supply of the next sheet to the image forming unit after the changing of the driving speed and after waiting time has elapsed since the completion of the fixing of the toner image to the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: TATSUYA KOYAMA, KOTARO FUJISHIRO
  • Publication number: 20220373943
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, upon receipt of a printing instruction, a controller starts rotation of a heating member, starts rotation of a photoconductor drum when a standby time has elapsed from a time of the start of the rotation of the heating member, starts conveyance of a sheet after the start of the rotation of the photoconductor drum, and forms a toner image on the sheet after the start of the conveyance of the sheet. The controller is configured to be operated in one of selectable modes including a multicolor mode in which a toner image is formed using both of toner of a first color and a second color and a monochrome mode in which a toner image is formed using toner of the second color only. The standby time adopted in the monochrome mode is longer than the standby time adopted in the multicolor mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Soun KANADA, Yuki FUKUSADA, Tatsuya KOYAMA, Kotaro FUJISHIRO
  • Patent number: 10684579
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus configured to, in a case where a temperature of a heating unit is lower than a first temperature when receiving a printing command, start feeding of a sheet based on an elapsed time which is time elapsed from a predetermined timing after start of heating of the heating unit until the temperature of the heating unit has reached a second temperature higher than a first temperature and lower than a fixing temperature, the feeding of the sheet being started based on a timing at which the temperature of the heating unit has reached the second temperature in a case where the elapsed time is equal to or longer than a first time, and the feeding of the sheet being started when or after the first time has elapsed from the predetermined timing in a case where the elapsed time is shorter than the first time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kotaro Fujishiro, Tatsuya Koyama
  • Publication number: 20190265619
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus configured to, in a case where a temperature of a heating unit is lower than a first temperature when receiving a printing command, start feeding of a sheet based on an elapsed time which is time elapsed from a predetermined timing after start of heating of the heating unit until the temperature of the heating unit has reached a second temperature higher than a first temperature and lower than a fixing temperature, the feeding of the sheet being started based on a timing at which the temperature of the heating unit has reached the second temperature in a case where the elapsed time is equal to or longer than a first time, and the feeding of the sheet being started when or after the first time has elapsed from the predetermined timing in a case where the elapsed time is shorter than the first time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventors: Kotaro Fujishiro, Tatsuya Koyama
  • Patent number: 10001733
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a belt, and a belt guide configured to guide movement of the belt. The belt guide includes a base part and a first protrusion protruding from a surface of the base part toward a surface of the belt. The first protrusion has a distal end surface and a side surface, the surface of the belt being configured to contact the distal end surface, the distal end surface having a distal surface roughness, the side surface connecting the distal end surface and the surface of the base part. At least one of the side surface and the surface of the base part includes a rough region having a surface roughness higher than the distal surface roughness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mingguang Zhang, Takuji Matsuno, Kei Ishida, Kotaro Fujishiro
  • Publication number: 20170160684
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a belt, and a belt guide configured to guide movement of the belt. The belt guide includes a base part and a first protrusion protruding from a surface of the base part toward a surface of the belt. The first protrusion has a distal end surface and a side surface, the surface of the belt being configured to contact the distal end surface, the distal end surface having a distal surface roughness, the side surface connecting the distal end surface and the surface of the base part. At least one of the side surface and the surface of the base part includes a rough region having a surface roughness higher than the distal surface roughness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventors: Mingguang Zhang, Takuji Matsuno, Kei Ishida, Kotaro Fujishiro