Patents by Inventor Masaharu Hashizume

Masaharu Hashizume 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: 10234811
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes a sheet conveyer that conveys a sheet along a first direction and a sheet end detection sensor that is movable along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and that detects an end of the sheet in the second direction, wherein the second direction is a sheet width direction. The post-processing device further includes a control unit that: causes the hole puncher to move along the second direction based on a position of the end of the sheet detected by the sheet end detection sensor, adjusts a sensitivity of the sheet end detection sensor, determines, prior to adjusting the sensitivity, whether the sheet still remains at the hole puncher based on levels of output signals from the sheet end detection sensor, and outputs, upon determining that the sheet still remains at the hole puncher, a warning signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Masaharu Hashizume, Ryouta Shibayama
  • Publication number: 20170153592
    Abstract: A post-processing device includes a sheet conveyer that conveys a sheet along a first direction and a sheet end detection sensor that is movable along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and that detects an end of the sheet in the second direction, wherein the second direction is a sheet width direction. The post-processing device further includes a control unit that: causes the hole puncher to move along the second direction based on a position of the end of the sheet detected by the sheet end detection sensor, adjusts a sensitivity of the sheet end detection sensor, determines, prior to adjusting the sensitivity, whether the sheet still remains at the hole puncher based on levels of output signals from the sheet end detection sensor, and outputs, upon determining that the sheet still remains at the hole puncher, a warning signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Masaharu Hashizume, Ryouta Shibayama
  • Patent number: 9075366
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a circulation unit and a controller. The circulation unit includes a plurality of reversing units each configured to reverse a sheet of recording media having one surface printed at an image processor. The circulation unit re-feeds the reversed sheet of recording media to the image processor. During duplex printing of a plurality of sheets of recording media through circulation in the circulation unit, the controller controls a holding reversing unit among the plurality of reversing units to hold at least one sheet among the plurality of sheets, so as to increase an actual circulated sheet number of the circulated plurality of sheets by a number corresponding to the at least one sheet so that the actual circulated sheet number is larger than a predetermined circulated sheet number by the number corresponding to the at least one sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kenji Taki, Masaharu Hashizume
  • Publication number: 20120155943
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a circulation unit and a controller. The circulation unit includes a plurality of reversing units each configured to reverse a sheet of recording media having one surface printed at an image processor. The circulation unit re-feeds the reversed sheet of recording media to the image processor. During duplex printing of a plurality of sheets of recording media through circulation in the circulation unit, the controller controls a holding reversing unit among the plurality of reversing units to hold at least one sheet among the plurality of sheets, so as to increase an actual circulated sheet number of the circulated plurality of sheets by a number corresponding to the at least one sheet so that the actual circulated sheet number is larger than a predetermined circulated sheet number by the number corresponding to the at least one sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2011
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji TAKI, Masaharu Hashizume
  • Patent number: 8107828
    Abstract: Time required for setting a print mode in a print standby state is shortened, in performing recovering operation. In an attachment state of consumable units on an image forming apparatus, information of the consumable unit memorized in nonvolatile memories of consumable units is memorized in a second nonvolatile memory, and after the print mode is set in an unprintable state, recovering operation having possibility of replacing the consumable units is performed. Thereafter, whether the same consumable units as those before the unprintable state are attached to the image forming apparatus is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tatsutoshi Yamada, Kazuo Okunishi, Masaharu Hashizume, Hideo Mae, Masayuki Inoue
  • Patent number: 7949264
    Abstract: When an image forming apparatus is disabled due to a cause rather than the detection of the toner empty condition, it is determined whether a recovery operation is a first recovery operation or a second recovery operation. The first recovery operation is associated with a mounting/dismounting of the toner cartridge performed from when the image forming apparatus is disabled until when the recovery operation begins. The second recovery operation is not associated with the mounting/dismounting. A toner supply control controls the toner supply operation when the recovery operation is performed on condition that the empty memory memorizes that the toner empty detector detects the empty condition. When the recovery operation is the first recovery operation, the toner supply control allows the toner to be supplied into the developer housing. While, when the recovery operation is the second recovery operation, the toner supply control prohibits the toner from being supplied into developer housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hideo Mae, Kazuo Okunishi, Masaharu Hashizume, Tatsutoshi Yamada, Masayuki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20090028583
    Abstract: Time required for setting a print mode in a print standby state is shortened, in performing recovering operation. In an attachment state of consumable units on an image forming apparatus, information of the consumable unit memorized in nonvolatile memories of consumable units is memorized in a second nonvolatile memory, and after the print mode is set in an unprintable state, recovering operation having possibility of replacing the consumable units is performed. Thereafter, whether the same consumable units as those before the unprintable state are attached to the image forming apparatus is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tatsutoshi YAMADA, Kazuo Okunishi, Masaharu Hashizume, Hideo Mae, Masayuki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20090022503
    Abstract: When an image forming apparatus is disabled due to a cause rather than the detection of the toner empty condition, it is determined whether a recovery operation is a first recovery operation or a second recovery operation. The first recovery operation is associated with a mounting/dismounting of the toner cartridge performed from when the image forming apparatus is disabled until when the recovery operation begins. The second recovery operation is not associated with the mounting/dismounting. A toner supply control controls the toner supply operation when the recovery operation is performed on condition that the empty memory memorizes that the toner empty detector detects the empty condition. When the recovery operation is the first recovery operation, the toner supply control allows the toner to be supplied into the developer housing. While, when the recovery operation is the second recovery operation, the toner supply control prohibits the toner from being supplied into developer housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Publication date: January 22, 2009
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hideo MAE, Kazuo Okunishi, Masaharu Hashizume, Tatsutoshi Yamada, Masayuki Inoue