Patents by Inventor Makoto Tokudome

Makoto Tokudome 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: 10209668
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a developer bearing member is disposed below a cleaning member, which cleans a charging member, so as to overlap with the cleaning member when viewed in a vertical direction and includes a base body and an elastic layer covering the base body and having a width in a longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member that accommodates the entire region of the cleaning member in the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction, the cleaning member is disposed at a position where the entire region thereof in the longitudinal direction is accommodated in the width of the elastic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihisa Matsukawa, Toshiki Okamura, Kuniaki Tamagaki, Takanori Watanabe, Hiroyoshi Iwayama, Makoto Tokudome, Hideo Kihara, Naoki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 10108123
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developer bearing member, a fixing unit including a heating member, a rotary member which is heated by the heating member, and a nip area where the rotary member comes into contact with a sheet, and configured to perform fixing by heating a developer image transferred to the sheet and fixing the developer image to the sheet in the nip area, and a control unit configured to execute, while the fixing is not performed, a mode in which the image bearing member is rotated with the developer bearing member being in a separated position and the heating member is controlled such that a temperature of a portion of a surface of the rotary member, after the rotary member passes through the nip area, is maintained higher than the temperature of the portion during the fixing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Motonari Ito, Kuniaki Tamagaki, Makoto Tokudome
  • Patent number: 10095161
    Abstract: An accommodating container includes: an accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer; a seal member for unsealably sealing the opening; and a rotatable member rotatably supported inside the accommodating chamber. The seal member includes a sealing portion for sealing the opening, a connecting portion connected with the rotatable member, and at least one hole provided between the sealing portion and the connecting portion. The rotatable member includes a shaft portion and at least one projection extending in a direction of being spaced from the shaft portion. The hole and the projection are provided to establish a non-overlapping positional relationship with respect to a direction along the shaft portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yoshiyuki Batori, Ryuta Murakami, Daisuke Makiguchi, Gosuke Goto, Makoto Tokudome, Yu Fukasawa
  • Publication number: 20180224799
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a developer bearing member is disposed below a cleaning member, which cleans a charging member, so as to overlap with the cleaning member when viewed in a vertical direction and includes a base body and an elastic layer covering the base body and having a width in a longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member that accommodates the entire region of the cleaning member in the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction, the cleaning member is disposed at a position where the entire region thereof in the longitudinal direction is accommodated in the width of the elastic layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Inventors: Akihisa Matsukawa, Toshiki Okamura, Kuniaki Tamagaki, Takanori Watanabe, Hiroyoshi Iwayama, Makoto Tokudome, Hideo Kihara, Naoki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 10025265
    Abstract: A configuration in which an opening is covered with a plurality of partition members is provided, and timings of causing the partition members to move are differentiated, so that torque is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Shida, Shunsuke Mizukoshi, Yuta Isobe, Takayuki Kanazawa, Makoto Tokudome
  • Patent number: 9996032
    Abstract: The disclosed structure includes a belt-shaped conveying member configured to convey developer. The conveying member includes a partitioning portion, which is a partition for developer contained in a casing with respect to a conveying direction in which the developer is conveyed, wherein, when the developer container is new, a first developer amount which is an amount of the developer contained at an upstream side that is upstream of the partitioning portion in the conveying direction, is larger than a second developer amount which is an amount of the developer contained at a downstream side that is downstream of the partitioning portion in the conveying direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunsuke Mizukoshi, Kazuhisa Shida, Takayuki Kanazawa, Yuta Isobe, Makoto Tokudome
  • Patent number: 9971298
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a developer bearing member is disposed below a cleaning member, which cleans a charging member, so as to overlap with the cleaning member when viewed in a vertical direction and includes a base body and an elastic layer covering the base body and having a width in a longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member that accommodates the entire region of the cleaning member in the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction, the cleaning member is disposed at a position where the entire region thereof in the longitudinal direction is accommodated in the width of the elastic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihisa Matsukawa, Toshiki Okamura, Kuniaki Tamagaki, Takanori Watanabe, Hiroyoshi Iwayama, Makoto Tokudome, Hideo Kihara, Naoki Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20180088507
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developer bearing member, a fixing unit including a heating member, a rotary member which is heated by the heating member, and a nip area where the rotary member comes into contact with a sheet, and configured to perform fixing by heating a developer image transferred to the sheet and fixing the developer image to the sheet in the nip area, and a control unit configured to execute, while the fixing is not performed, a mode in which the image bearing member is rotated with the developer bearing member being in a separated position and the heating member is controlled such that a temperature of a portion of a surface of the rotary member, after the rotary member passes through the nip area, is maintained higher than the temperature of the portion during the fixing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Motonari Ito, Kuniaki Tamagaki, Makoto Tokudome
  • Patent number: 9927730
    Abstract: The length of a developer bearing portion of a developing device is longer than the length of a transfer roller in the rotation axis direction of a photosensitive drum. The width of a light irradiation opening of a charge eliminating device is shorter than the length of the transfer roller in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Tokudome, Satoshi Sunahara
  • Patent number: 9915892
    Abstract: What is provided is an image forming apparatus in which longitudinal end portions of a developer bearing region or longitudinal end portions of an opening are respectively located outside longitudinal end portions of a transfer bias applicable region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Sunahara, Makoto Tokudome
  • Publication number: 20180024495
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus in which a developer bearing member is disposed below a cleaning member, which cleans a charging member, so as to overlap with the cleaning member when viewed in a vertical direction and includes a base body and an elastic layer covering the base body and having a width in a longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member that accommodates the entire region of the cleaning member in the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction, the cleaning member is disposed at a position where the entire region thereof in the longitudinal direction is accommodated in the width of the elastic layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Inventors: Akihisa Matsukawa, Toshiki Okamura, Kuniaki Tamagaki, Takanori Watanabe, Hiroyoshi Iwayama, Makoto Tokudome, Hideo Kihara, Naoki Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20170293243
    Abstract: The disclosed structure includes a belt-shaped conveying member configured to convey developer. The conveying member includes a partitioning portion, which is a partition for developer contained in a casing with respect to a conveying direction in which the developer is conveyed, wherein, when the developer container is new, a first developer amount which is an amount of the developer contained at an upstream side that is upstream of the partitioning portion in the conveying direction, is larger than a second developer amount which is an amount of the developer contained at a downstream side that is downstream of the partitioning portion in the conveying direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Inventors: Shunsuke Mizukoshi, Kazuhisa Shida, Takayuki Kanazawa, Yuta Isobe, Makoto Tokudome
  • Publication number: 20170293256
    Abstract: A configuration in which an opening is covered with a plurality of partition members is provided, and timings of causing the partition members to move are differentiated, so that torque is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Shida, Shunsuke Mizukoshi, Yuta Isobe, Takayuki Kanazawa, Makoto Tokudome
  • Patent number: 9766571
    Abstract: A developing device configured to develop a latent image formed on an image bearing member includes a rotatable developing-agent bearing member configured to bear developing agent, a developing container configured to form a developing-agent storage chamber that stores the developing agent, a developing-agent regulating portion provided in the developing container to regulate an amount of the developing agent born on the developing-agent bearing member, a support portion configured to support the developing-agent bearing member movably relative to the developing-agent regulating portion, and a pressurizing member configured to pressurize the developing-agent bearing member toward the developing-agent regulating portion. A contact portion of the developing-agent regulating portion with the developing-agent bearing member is fixed to the developing container without forming a gap from the developing container on a downstream side in a pressurizing direction of the pressurizing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Baba, Makoto Tokudome, Masao Uyama, Yuichiro Hirata, Kodai Hayashi, Keisuke Mochizuki, Norihito Naito
  • Publication number: 20170168422
    Abstract: An accommodating container includes: an accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer; a seal member for unsealably sealing the opening; and a rotatable member rotatably supported inside the accommodating chamber. The seal member includes a sealing portion for sealing the opening, a connecting portion connected with the rotatable member, and at least one hole provided between the sealing portion and the connecting portion. The rotatable member includes a shaft portion and at least one projection extending in a direction of being spaced from the shaft portion. The hole and the projection are provided to establish a non-overlapping positional relationship with respect to a direction along the shaft portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yoshiyuki Batori, Ryuta Murakami, Daisuke Makiguchi, Gosuke Goto, Makoto Tokudome, Yu Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 9599932
    Abstract: An accommodating container includes: an accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer; a seal member for unsealably sealing the opening; and a rotatable member rotatably supported inside the accommodating chamber. The seal member includes a sealing portion for sealing the opening, a connecting portion connected with the rotatable member, and at least one hole provided between the sealing portion and the connecting portion. The rotatable member includes a shaft portion and at least one projection extending in a direction of being spaced from the shaft portion. The hole and the projection are provided to establish a non-overlapping positional relationship with respect to a direction along the shaft portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yoshiyuki Batori, Ryuta Murakami, Daisuke Makiguchi, Gosuke Goto, Makoto Tokudome, Yu Fukasawa
  • Publication number: 20170075248
    Abstract: The length of a developer bearing portion of a developing device is longer than the length of a transfer roller in the rotation axis direction of a photosensitive drum. The width of a light irradiation opening of a charge eliminating device is shorter than the length of the transfer roller in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: Makoto Tokudome, Satoshi Sunahara
  • Publication number: 20170068182
    Abstract: What is provided is an image forming apparatus in which longitudinal end portions of a developer bearing region or longitudinal end portions of an opening are respectively located outside longitudinal end portions of a transfer bias applicable region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Satoshi Sunahara, Makoto Tokudome
  • Patent number: 9501032
    Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member for forming a latent image; a charging member, press-contacted to the image bearing member at a predetermined urging force, for electrically charging the image bearing member by being supplied with a charging bias; a developing device for developing the latent image by supplying a polymerized toner to the image bearing member; and a cleaning blade for removing the polymerized toner deposited on the image bearing member in contact with the image bearing member. The charging member includes: an electroconductive support; one or more elastic layer formed around the electroconductive support; and projected portions and recessed portions provided on a surface of the charging member. The projected portions are elastically deformable in contact with the image bearing member, leaving electrically dischargeable gaps between the recessed portions of the charging member and the image bearing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuhei Kawasaki, Makoto Tokudome, Daisuke Baba, Shun Sato
  • Patent number: 9335664
    Abstract: A developer container includes: an accommodating chamber, provided with an opening for permitting discharge of a developer; and developer feeding means. The developer feeding means includes: a rotatable member; a developer feeding member fixed on the rotatable member; a sealing member for opening the opening by the rotation of the rotatable member, wherein one end portion thereof is fixed on the rotatable member and the other end portion thereof is provided so as to seal the opening; and a regulating portion for regulating the sealing member, which is wound about the rotatable member after the opening is opened by the rotation of the rotatable member, so as to expose a feeding surface of the developer feeding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Tokudome, Ryosuke Kanai