Patents by Inventor Makoto Sakanobe

Makoto Sakanobe 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: 8306470
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade member that has a tip abutting a surface of an image carrier so as to remove a residue remaining on the surface of the image carrier; an attaching member that includes a first attachment piece to which a base end of the cleaning blade member is attached, and a second attachment piece which is provided so as to intersect the first attachment piece at a predetermined angle; a housing member to which one of the first attachment piece and the second attachment piece is fixed at both ends along a longitudinal direction thereof; and an external force exerting member that exerts an external force in a direction which intersects a surface of the other one of the first attachment piece and the second attachment piece, which is not fixed to the housing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Akamatsu, Makoto Sakanobe, Yuichi Fukuda, Ryosuke Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8023878
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade that contacts a surface of a member to be cleaned to remove a residue remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned, and that includes multiple layers, wherein a leading end portion of the cleaning blade shifts in a separating direction from the surface of the member to be cleaned due to a difference in thermal expansion property among the multiple layers when temperature rises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Fukuda, Noriaki Kojima, Makoto Sakanobe, Hiromi Nagai, Hiroaki Akamatsu, Masahiro Katahira
  • Patent number: 7873314
    Abstract: A cleaning member includes a cleaning part whose one end portion comes into contact with a surface of an image carrier, and a supporting part that supports the cleaning part and applies a force for pressing the one end portion of the cleaning part to the surface of the image carrier, wherein a surface of a first portion including the one end portion of the cleaning part is bonded to the supporting part with a first adhesive layer, and a surface of a second portion including the other end portion opposite to the one end portion of the cleaning part is bonded to the supporting part with a second adhesive layer having a Type-A durometer hardness which is lower than that of the first adhesive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Sakanobe, Hiroaki Akamatsu, Yuichi Fukuda, Ryosuke Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20100247189
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade member that has a tip abutting a surface of an image carrier so as to remove a residue remaining on the surface of the image carrier; an attaching member that includes a first attachment piece to which a base end of the cleaning blade member is attached, and a second attachment piece which is provided so as to intersect the first attachment piece at a predetermined angle; a housing member to which one of the first attachment piece and the second attachment piece is fixed at both ends along a longitudinal direction thereof; and an external force exerting member that exerts an external force in a direction which intersects a surface of the other one of the first attachment piece and the second attachment piece, which is not fixed to the housing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Akamatsu, Makoto Sakanobe, Yuichi Fukuda, Ryosuke Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20100247188
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning blade that contacts a surface of a member to be cleaned to remove a residue remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned, and that includes multiple layers, wherein a leading end portion of the cleaning blade shifts in a separating direction from the surface of the member to be cleaned due to a difference in thermal expansion property among the multiple layers when temperature rises.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichi Fukuda, Noriaki Kojima, Makoto Sakanobe, Hiromi Nagai, Hiroaki Akamatsu, Masahiro Katahira
  • Patent number: 7756462
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier that carries an image; a developing unit that develops the image on the image carrier into a toner image; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image carried on the image carrier onto a transfer medium; and a cleaning unit that cleans residual toner, having not been transferred by the transfer unit, from the image carrier. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning roller member provided in contact with the image carrier and supplied with a predetermined bias voltage, having a surface layer of a conductive fiber cloth, and a conductive roller member provided in contact with the cleaning roller member and supplied with a predetermined bias voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin Iwasaki, Makoto Sakanobe, Yoshitaka Kuroda, Kanji Shintaku, Satoshi Shigezaki
  • Publication number: 20100054831
    Abstract: A cleaning member includes a cleaning part whose one end portion comes into contact with a surface of an image carrier, and a supporting part that supports the cleaning part and applies a force for pressing the one end portion of the cleaning part to the surface of the image carrier, wherein a surface of a first portion including the one end portion of the cleaning part is bonded to the supporting part with a first adhesive layer, and a surface of a second portion including the other end portion opposite to the one end portion of the cleaning part is bonded to the supporting part with a second adhesive layer having a Type-A durometer hardness which is lower than that of the first adhesive layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Makoto Sakanobe, Hiroaki Akamatsu, Yuichi Fukuda, Ryosuke Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7471924
    Abstract: This invention relates to a cleaning unit including a cleaning blade that keeps a front end of rubber material in contact with the surface with a pressure so as to scrape residual toner left on the surface of the photoreceptor and a fiber body having multiple fibers in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor in the upstream in the cyclic moving direction of the surface of the photoreceptor with respect to the cleaning blade, the cleaning blade satisfying A??2.5×B+102 and 6.3?B?19.6, where A designates a contact angle (°) with pure water under 23° C., 55% RH and B designates 100% modulus (MPa) at 23° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Shigezaki, Hiroe Okuyama, Makoto Sakanobe, Kanji Shintaku, Satoya Sugiura, Tatsuya Soga, Jin Iwasaki, Yoshitaka Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20070292178
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier that carries an image; a developing unit that develops the image on the image carrier into a toner image; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image carried on the image carrier onto a transfer medium; and a cleaning unit that cleans residual toner, having not been transferred by the transfer unit, from the image carrier. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning roller member provided in contact with the image carrier and supplied with a predetermined bias voltage, having a surface layer of a conductive fiber cloth, and a conductive roller member provided in contact with the cleaning roller member and supplied with a predetermined bias voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Jin Iwasaki, Makoto Sakanobe, Yoshitaka Kuroda, Kanji Shintaku, Satoshi Shigezaki
  • Publication number: 20070020005
    Abstract: This invention relates to a cleaning unit comprising: a cleaning blade that keeps a front end of rubber material in contact with the surface with a pressure so as to scrape residual toner left on the surface of the photoreceptor and a fiber body having multiple fibers in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor in the upstream in the cyclic moving direction of the surface of the photoreceptor with respect to the cleaning blade, wherein the cleaning blade satisfies conditions A??2.5×B+102 and 6.3?B?19.6, where A designates a contact angle (°) with pure water under 23° C., 55% RH and B designates 100% modulus (MPa) at 23° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Shigezaki, Hiroe Okuyama, Makoto Sakanobe, Kanji Shintaku, Satoya Sugiura, Tatsuya Soga, Jin Iwasaki, Yoshitaka Kuroda
  • Patent number: 6668153
    Abstract: A cleaning blade of an image forming apparatus is formed of urethane rubber, a modulus of repulsion elasticity (JIS K6255) is not less than 20% at 10° C. to not more than 70% at 40° C., a 300% modulus (JIS K6251) is not less than 200 kgf/cm2, and a tear strength (JIS K6252 crescent type) is not less than 35 kgf/cm. A tension set (JIS K6262) of the cleaning blade (3) is preferably not more than 2.5%, and is more preferably not more than 1.0%, and is still more preferably not more than 0.5%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Sakanobe, Noriaki Kojima, Takashi Fuchiwaki, Yasunori Unagida, Hiroyuki Koide, Yoshinori Nakano
  • Publication number: 20030086738
    Abstract: A cleaning blade of an image forming apparatus is formed of urethane rubber, a modulus of repulsion elasticity (JIS K6255) is not less than 20% at 10° C. to not more than 70% at 40° C., a 300% modulus (JIS K6251) is not less than 200 kgf/cm2, and a tear strength (JIS K6252 crescent type) is not less than 35 kgf/cm. A tension set (JIS K6262) of the cleaning blade (3) is preferably not more than 2.5%, and is more preferably not more than 1.0%, and is still more preferably not more than 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Sakanobe, Noriaki Kojima, Takashi Fuchiwaki, Yasunori Unagida, Hiroyuki Koide, Yoshinori Nakano
  • Patent number: 6453146
    Abstract: A cleaning blade for a latent image holding member, an apparatus for forming an image and a process for forming an image are provided at a low cost, in which even in an apparatus for forming an image using a spherical toner, good cleaning property of the latent image holding member is ensured irrespective to the temperature environment upon use without deteriorating an image quality. The cleaning blade for removing a remaining toner by making in contact with a latent image holding member under pressure, as well as an apparatus for forming an image and a process for forming an image using the same are provided. The cleaning blade contains an elastic material having a 300% modulus of about from 14,700 to 29,400 kPa and a tearing strength of about 68,600 N/m or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., LTD
    Inventors: Taichi Yamada, Satoshi Shigezaki, Yoshinari Ueno, Masahiro Takagi, Satoshi Inoue, Makoto Sakanobe, Tomoki Kutsuwada, Yoshinori Nakano
  • Publication number: 20020048473
    Abstract: A cleaning blade for a latent image holding member, an apparatus for forming an image and a process for forming an image are provided at a low cost, in which even in an apparatus for forming an image using a spherical toner, good cleaning property of the latent image holding member is ensured irrespective to the temperature environment upon use without deteriorating an image quality. The cleaning blade for removing a remaining toner by making in contact with a latent image holding member under pressure, as well as an apparatus for forming an image and a process for forming an image using the same are provided. The cleaning blade contains an elastic material having a 300% modulus of about from 14,700 to 29,400 kPa and a tearing strength of about 68,600 N/m or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Applicant: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Taichi Yamada, Satoshi Shigezaki, Yoshinari Ueno, Masahiro Takagi, Satoshi Inoue, Makoto Sakanobe, Tomoki Kutsuwada, Yoshinori Nakano
  • Patent number: 5452060
    Abstract: An endless belt transporting apparatus in a transfer unit or an image carrying member in an image forming apparatus, providing a flatness correcting member, mounted between support frames, for obtaining a flatness of the endless belt, and stepped portions formed at both side edge of the flatness correcting member. A pressing member for pressing deformed end portions of the belt may be disposed in opposition to the flatness correcting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1995
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Makoto Sakanobe
  • Patent number: 5289235
    Abstract: A screen lamp can be mounted easily. A belt type photoreceptor 15 is rotatably provided along a plurality of rollers 14 and 14-1, and a screen lamp 28 is mounted on there are side of the belt type photoreceptor 15 with respect to the rollers 14-1. The rollers 14-1 maintain a predetermined clearance between the belt type photoreceptor 15 and the screen lamp 28. And a pattern exposing device which ensures small size, simple construction and low cost is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 22, 1994
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Sakanobe, Yoshikazu Tamura