Patents by Inventor Masahiro Higashitani

Masahiro Higashitani 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: 20100012852
    Abstract: The present invention aims at providing an image reading device and an image forming apparatus including a light guiding body having a first emission surface and a second emission surface. A color copy machine includes a luminescence portion including: LEDs composed of a plurality of dot-shaped luminescence members disposed at predetermined intervals in a main scanning direction and/or an elongated luminescence member that is formed to extend in the main scanning direction; and a light guiding body that is disposed between the LEDs and an original, and has a light incidence portion disposed on a side to the LEDs and an emission portion disposed on a side to the original. The emission portion has a first emission surface and a second emission surface that is formed on a different plane from a plane including the first emission surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: KYOCERA MITA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Higashitani, Kei Ouchi
  • Publication number: 20090290199
    Abstract: The present invention is aimed at providing an image reading device that suppresses generation of a so-called edge shadow while suppressing uneven intensity of light emitted onto an original. A color copy machine 1 includes an illumination portion 347a that irradiates an original G with light. The illumination portion 347a includes a plurality of LEDs 501 disposed at predetermined intervals in a main scanning direction, an elliptical diffuser plate 507 that is disposed between the plurality of LEDs 501 and the original G and causes the light emitted by the plurality of LEDs 501 to diffuse, and a second reflection mirror 541B that reflects light, which is a portion of the light diffused by the elliptical diffuser plate 507 and not directly irradiated onto the original G, so as to irradiate the light onto the original G.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: KYOCERA MITA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Tagawa, Masahiro Higashitani, Katsuhiko Okamoto, Yasuyuki Horiguchi, Kei Ouchi, Sou Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7616351
    Abstract: By reading an image of a reference plate, whether or not a likeliness that a linear abnormal image is occurred in the image of the document due to a foreign matter and the like attached on a contact glass exists is determined. In the case where there is the likeliness of occurrence of the linear abnormal image, the occurrence of the abnormal image is suppressed by changing an image reading position. At this time, a reading sensitivity is measured by reading a reference document having a single white color instead of a normal document. An adjustment data is generated according to the measurement result and stored in a memory. Then, light quantity of an exposure lamp is regulated in accordance with the document reading position by using the adjustment data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Higashitani
  • Publication number: 20090244654
    Abstract: An image reading device is provided. The image reading device suppresses uneven intensity of light emitted on a subject, by disposing a diffusion plate between the subject and a plurality of luminescence portions, and an image forming device that includes this image reading device. The image reading device includes an illumination portion that irradiates light onto a subject. The illumination portion includes: a plurality of LED's disposed at predetermined intervals in a main scanning direction; and an elliptical diffuser plate that is disposed between the subject and the plurality of LED's and diffuses light emitted by the plurality of LED's in a higher diffusion rate in the main scanning direction than in a sub-scanning direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Tagawa, Masahiro Higashitani, Katsuhiko Okamoto, Yasuyuki Horiguchi, Kei Ouchi, Sou Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20080198424
    Abstract: A light-collective member (142) for collecting a light outputted from a light source (140), which irradiates a light toward a document surface, toward a sub-scanning direction is provided in front of the light source (140). An illuminating portion which is so formed that each of opposite end surfaces (170, 172) in the main scanning direction of the light-collective member (142) has an obtuse angle with respect to a bottom surface (174) facing the light source (140).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: KYOCERA MITA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masahiro Higashitani
  • Publication number: 20070076274
    Abstract: By reading an image of a reference plate, whether or not a likeliness that a linear abnormal image is occurred in the image of the document due to a foreign matter and the like attached on a contact glass exists is determined. In the case where there is the likeliness of occurrence of the linear abnormal image, the occurrence of the abnormal image is suppressed by changing an image reading position. At this time, a reading sensitivity is measured by reading a reference document having a single white color instead of a normal document. An adjustment data is generated according to the measurement result and stored in a memory. Then, light quantity of an exposure lamp is regulated in accordance with the document reading position by using the adjustment data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Publication date: April 5, 2007
    Applicant: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Higashitani
  • Patent number: 5621507
    Abstract: An electrostatic latent image-developing device includes a toner cartridge provided with a container having a toner discharge opening, a toner contained in the container and a sealing tape for sealing the toner discharge opening, and a toner cartridge-holding device having a toner-receiving opening and allowing detachable mounting of the toner cartridge. The toner cartridge is equipped with a shutter member that is disposed on one edge side of the toner discharge opening and is so constituted as to move to the other edge side across the toner discharge opening to cover the toner discharge opening. The toner cartridge-holding device is equipped with a shutter-moving device which moves the front edge of the shutter member from one edge side to the other edge side of the toner discharge opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshinori Nishimura, Yasuyuki Ishiguro, Akihiro Watanabe, Masahiro Higashitani
  • Patent number: 5363177
    Abstract: An opening for discharging toner is formed in a lower part of a cartridge body containing toner. A shutter mounting body is mounted on the opening. A first shutter is slidably mounted on the shutter mounting body. A second shutter is slidably mounted on the first shutter. A front end of a sealing member for sealing the opening is extended, the extended front end being inserted through a seal traction opening formed in a front end of the second shutter, and fixed to a front end of the first shutter. When the second shutter is pulled out of the shutter mounting body, the sealing member is towed by the seal traction opening. In addition, the first shutter is further towed by the sealing member, to be also pulled out. Consequently, nearly half of the sealing member from its front end is stripped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Nakano, Yasuyuki Hirai, Masahiro Higashitani, Yasuhiro Matsuo, Shingo Mori, Hiromi Sakata, Masahiro Sako, Minoru Kishigami
  • Patent number: 5337125
    Abstract: It is a major object of the present invention to break down and level a heap-up of toner built in the hopper through dropping from the cartridge when feeding toner into the hopper and to prevent toner from leakage from the cartridge due to erroneous operation with a remarkably simple and cheap construction. Namely, the leveling member moves a plurality of number of times in line with engaging and disengaging operation of the cartridge for the hopper and opening and closing operation of the cartridge in the same direction of the shutter, thereby causing a heap-up of toner built in the hopper housing of the hopper to be effectively broken down and leveled. Furthermore, only when the shutter is in its closed status for the cartridge, the cartridge can be removed from the opening of the hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1994
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Nakano, Kunio Nakai, Masahiro Sako, Shigeo Kurando, Minoru Kishigami, Masahiro Higashitani, Yasuhiro Matsuo, Toshinori Nishimura, Tsugio Nakanishi, Yasuyuki Hirai, Shingo Mori
  • Patent number: 5294963
    Abstract: An opening for discharging toner is formed in a lower part of a cartridge body containing toner. A shutter mounting body is mounted on the opening. A first shutter is slidably mounted on the shutter mounting body. A second shutter is slidably mounted on the first shutter. A front end of a sealing member for sealing the opening is extended, the extended front end being inserted through a seal traction opening formed in a front end of the second shutter, and fixed to a front end of the first shutter. When the second shutter is pulled out of the shutter mounting body, the sealing member is towed by the seal traction opening. In addition, the first shutter is further towed by the sealing member, to be also pulled out. Consequently, nearly half of the sealing member from its front end is stripped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Nakano, Yasuyuki Hirai, Masahiro Higashitani, Yasuhiro Matsuo, Shingo Mori, Hiromi Sakata, Masahiro Sako, Minoru Kishigami
  • Patent number: 5136341
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which facilitates the input and output of copy paper. One embodiment includes an image forming apparatus with paper supply trays, a development area, a console and a sorter. By pressing a transparent paper mode key on the console, normal and projector paper are sequentially fed from the trays to the development area and then to the sorter. The sorter is set in one of three modes by a sorter instructor. A manual key on the console allows an operator to set the instructor to position the sorter in any one of the three modes. The pressing of the transparent paper mode key or the detection by a detector of transparent paper in the feeding tray results in the instructor setting the sorter in a non-sort mode despite the sort instructor having been previously set in a different mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Takemura, Kazuhiro Morimoto, Yasuyuki Hirai, Masahiro Higashitani, Mitsuru Adachi, Yasuhiro Matsuo, Shingo Mori, Yasuyuki Ishiguro, Hidehiro Tabuchi, Yoshihisa Tanaka, Hiromi Sakata, Tadashi Fujioka, Kouji Ujino