Patents by Inventor Kunio Sawai

Kunio Sawai 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: 20070248395
    Abstract: This image generating apparatus comprises a chassis including a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion and a print head including a first arm and a second arm rotatably mounted on the first mounting portion and said second mounting portion respectively. The first arm and the second arm of the print head are provided with a first stop portion and a second stop portion regulating movement of the print head in the direction of a rotation axis respectively, while a first angular range in which the first arm is mountable on/dismountable from the first mounting portion is different from a second angular range in which the second arm is mountable on/dismountable from the second mounting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2007
    Publication date: October 25, 2007
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7286151
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus has a frame, a head portion pivotably supported on the frame, a platen roller supported on the frame opposite the head portion, an elastic support rod supported on the frame, a rotary member pivotably supported by the support rod and having a pressing member, and a drive mechanism engaged with the rotary member to pivot the rotary member around the support rod. The pressing member presses the head portion against the platen roller with the urging force of the support rod. The image forming apparatus is structured with members that are easy to manufacture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7278793
    Abstract: An image generating apparatus capable of rotating a pressing member pressing a print head against a platen roller at a large rotation angle with a cam is obtained. This thermal transfer printer (image generating apparatus) comprises a drive cam for driving the pressing member. This drive cam includes a cardioid cam engaging with a cam pin provided on the pressing member and a protrusion, constituted of a first protrusion and a second protrusion, for restraining the cam pin from moving by force other than that of the drive cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Publication number: 20070215760
    Abstract: This display support mechanism comprises a support shaft provided in the form of a plate, a display screen support member, having a first hole receiving the platelike support shaft, provided on the side of a display screen and a base support member, having a second hole receiving the platelike support shaft, provided on the side of a base, and at least either the first hole or the second hole receiving the platelike support shaft is provided in the form of a sector while the display screen support member is rotatable about the platelike support shaft serving as an axis of rotation in the angular range of the sector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Sawai, Katsuyuki Yokota
  • Publication number: 20070215761
    Abstract: A display support mechanism capable of inclining a display screen by a prescribed angle without employing a round shaft as an axis of rotation is obtained. This display support mechanism comprises a support shaft provided in the form of a plate, a display screen support member, supporting a display screen, having a sectoral first hole receiving the platelike support shaft and a base support member having a sectoral second hole receiving the platelike support shaft, while the display screen support member is rotatable about the support shaft serving as an axis of rotation in the total angular range of the sectoral first hole of the display screen support member and the sectoral second hole of the base support member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Sawai, Katsuyuki Yokota
  • Publication number: 20070210220
    Abstract: A display support mechanism allowing an easy operation of controlling the angle of a display screen with no requirement for a round shaft serving as an axis of rotation is obtained. This display support mechanism comprises a support shaft provided in the form of a plate, a display screen support member, having a first hole receiving the platelike support shaft, rotatable about the support shaft serving as an axis of rotation and a base support member having a second hole receiving the platelike support shaft, while at least either the display screen support member or the base support member is provided with a projecting portion brought into pressure contact with opposed surfaces of the display screen support member and the base support member for developing frictional resistance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Sawai, Katsuyuki Yokota
  • Patent number: 7267502
    Abstract: In a thermally transcribing printer including a frame, a roller made of a metal for feeding sheet at constant speed, a gear made of a resin, a motor, a press-fit engaging member, and a compression coil spring, the roller includes a shaft portion attached to project from an inner side to an outer side of the frame 1 and the press-fit engaging member is press-fitted to the shaft portion. Further, the gear includes a shaft inserting hole in a circular shape inserted from an outer side of the press-fitted engaging member made of a metal into a shaft portion of the roller, and four second engaging portions provided at intervals of 90 degrees between the shaft inserting hole and an outer peripheral portion of the gear and having a predetermined length in a rotational direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7237968
    Abstract: In a thermally transcribing printer including a frame, a roller shaft, a roller shaft drive gear and a motor, the roller shaft includes one end installed on an inner side of the frame and folded to bend in an L-like shape and other end fitted to a drawout preventing portion in a recess shape of the frame. The roller shaft drive gear includes a hook portion attached to the one end of the roller shaft, engaged with a portion of the roller shaft other than the fold-bend portion disposed a vicinity of the one end of the roller shaft and having an opening width smaller than a diameter of the roller shaft for restraining the roller shaft from being detached in the bended direction, and a pair of rotation preventing ribs for holding to squeeze the fold-bend portion of the roller shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7226051
    Abstract: In a sheet feeder of the present invention, a groove-shaped concave provided on an inner surface of a bearing extends therethrough in a direction where a rotational shaft of a feed roller extends. A surface of the rotational shaft of the feed roller is supported on a pair of outer edges of the groove-shaped concave formed on the inner surface of the bearing. A bottom of the groove-shaped concave is substantially circular-arc and concentric with the inner surface of the bearing other than the groove-shaped concave. The bottom of the groove-shaped concave is formed at such a depth that the surface of the rotational shaft of the feed roller does not contact the bottom while the rotational shaft of the feed roller is supported on the outer edges of the groove-shaped concave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7207561
    Abstract: In the sheet feeder, a first intermediate gear support shaft is inserted into a bearing of a first intermediate gear, and contains a bearing engaging part including a sectional shape having a substantial D-shaped cut having a flat part and a circular part. The bearing engaging part having a substantial D-shaped cut of the first intermediate gear support shaft contains two support parts and located on the boundary line between the flat part and the circular part. The support parts are arranged so as to support the circular bearing of the first intermediate gear at two positions sloping by a predetermined angle right and left for the line of a force which passes the center of the first intermediate gear and is applied to the first intermediate gear from the rotation. The support parts have a chamfered or rounded shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Publication number: 20070086827
    Abstract: A printer capable of suppressing reduction of printing quality by inhibiting a feed roller from axial deviation is obtained. This printer comprises a feed roller carrying a paper, a feed roller gear mounted with the feed roller for transmitting driving force to the feed roller and a platelike member having an elastically deformable urging portion axially urging at least either the feed roller gear or the feed roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2006
    Publication date: April 19, 2007
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7192206
    Abstract: A thermal printer includes a main frame having side plates, a platen roller rotatably supported in the main frame, a print head unit supported in the main unit so as to be pivotable between an image-forming state and a non-image forming state, a sheet case adapted to accommodate a sheet, and a contact portion that is attached to the print head unit so as to pivot together with the print head unit. The print head unit is pressed against the platen roller to convey a sheet therebetween when the print head unit is in the image-forming state. The sheet case is mounted in the main frame through an insertion part formed in one of the side plates. The contact portion contacts the sheet case from a second side plate side when the print head unit is in the image-forming state. It is possible to reduce the occurrence of printing defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Publication number: 20070041767
    Abstract: An image generating apparatus capable of improving printing quality by suppressing irregularity in force for pressing a thermal head, mounted with a radiator plate, against a platen roller in a direction perpendicular to a paper carrying direction is obtained. This image generating apparatus comprises the platen roller, the thermal head opposed to the platen roller, the radiator plate formed with a long hole extending in the direction perpendicular to the paper carrying direction and a press member pressing the thermal head against the platen roller by pressing the radiator plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2006
    Publication date: February 22, 2007
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7172353
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a chassis; a print head unit pivotably supported by the chassis; a platen roller rotatably supported by the chassis to perform printing with the print head unit; a metal feed roller rotatably supported by the chassis to convey paper; a metal press roller rotatably supported to the chassis so as to be pressed against the feed roller to convey paper; and feed roller bearings mounted to the chassis for rotatably supporting the feed roller. The feed roller bearings have contact parts that project toward the print head unit, such that the contact parts are pressed into contact with the print head unit when the print head unit is pressed against the platen roller during printing. The precision with which paper is fed and printing is performed can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Publication number: 20060291940
    Abstract: An image generating apparatus capable of reducing the number of components and discharging a paper with a simple structure is obtained. This image generating apparatus comprises a feed roller for carrying a paper, a paper discharge roller coming into contact with the lower surface of the paper for discharging the paper carried by the feed roller and a paper support member arranged at a prescribed interval from the axial center of the paper discharge roller in a paper feed direction while supporting the upper surface of the paper so that the lower surface of the paper discharged by the paper discharge roller comes into contact with the paper discharge roller with prescribed contact force, and the paper discharge roller discharges the paper with frictional force generated between the paper discharge roller and the lower surface of the paper coming into contact with the paper discharge roller with the prescribed contact force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2006
    Publication date: December 28, 2006
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Publication number: 20060233581
    Abstract: An image generating apparatus capable of rotating a pressing member pressing a print head against a platen roller at a large rotation angle with a cam is obtained. This thermal transfer printer (image generating apparatus) comprises a drive cam for driving the pressing member. This drive cam includes a cardioid cam engaging with a cam pin provided on the pressing member and a protrusion, constituted of a first protrusion and a second protrusion, for restraining the cam pin from moving by force other than that of the drive cam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Publication date: October 19, 2006
    Applicant: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7121748
    Abstract: The image forming device includes a chassis; a thermal head unit pivotably supported by the chassis for executing printing; a platen roller supported by the chassis opposite the thermal head unit; a pressing member that is pivotably supported by the chassis and configured to press the thermal head unit against the platen roller by pushing against a top portion of the thermal head unit; a protruding part that is provided on the top portion of the thermal head unit and configured to engage the pressing member in a horizontal direction as the pressing member is pivoted to press the thermal head unit against the platen roller; and a positioning member configured to engage the thermal head unit as the thermal head unit is pushed in the horizontal direction due to the engagement of the protruding part with the pressing member in the horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Publication number: 20060216096
    Abstract: The image forming device includes a chassis; a thermal head unit pivotably supported by the chassis for executing printing; a platen roller supported by the chassis opposite the thermal head unit; a pressing member that is pivotably supported by the chassis and configured to press the thermal head unit against the platen roller by pushing against a top portion of the thermal head unit; a protruding part that is provided on the top portion of the thermal head unit and configured to engage the pressing member in a horizontal direction as the pressing member is pivoted to press the thermal head unit against the platen roller; and a positioning member configured to engage the thermal head unit as the thermal head unit is pushed in the horizontal direction due to the engagement of the protruding part with the pressing member in the horizontal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Applicant: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7081911
    Abstract: The thermal-transfer printer includes: a main body frame 10; a platen roller 20; a thermal head 31; a pair of head supporting arms 33 (head attaching arms 32); and a pressing member 40 for pivoting the head supporting arms 33 (head attaching arms 32) to a side of the platen roller 20. The pressing member 40 includes a first pressing arm 41 and a second pressing arm 42, and a connecting member 43 having two of a first bending portion 43a and a second bending portion 43b in an L-lettered shape. The first pressing arm 41 includes: a recess portion 41a; a supporting shaft portion 41b; a first notch portion 41c; and a drawout preventing portion 41d. The second pressing arm 42 includes: a recess portion 42a; a supporting shaft portion 42c; and a second notch portion 42d.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2006
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai
  • Patent number: 7073962
    Abstract: The thermal-transfer printer includes: a pair of head attaching arms 12 having fitting holes 12c respectively inserted with support shafts 9 and having center lines inclined to axis lines of the supporting shafts 9 by a predetermined inclination angle; and supporting shaft attaching portions 12b being bent by bending lines 12d that intersects with a line connecting the fitting holes 12c and a printing position of a thermal head 11 relative to a sheet 100. The fitting hole 12c of respective supporting shaft attaching portion 12b are attached to the supporting shafts 9 in a state of being elastically bent in directions opposed to each other such that predetermined inclination angles of the supporting shafts 9 of center lines of the fitting hole 12c of the supporting shaft attaching portion 12b relative to axis lines of the supporting shafts 9 are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co.
    Inventor: Kunio Sawai