Patents by Inventor Masahiro Imoto
Masahiro Imoto 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).
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Publication number: 20160150098Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit, an image forming unit, a discharge unit, and a discharge tray. The image reading unit is configured to read a document placed on a document placement table by moving and scanning of a scanning body in a sub-scanning direction. The image forming unit is configured to form an image read by the image reading unit on a paper sheet. The discharge unit is configured to discharge the paper sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit to a direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction. The discharge tray is on which the paper sheet from the discharge unit is to be placed with a space portion at a lower side of the image reading unit. A bottom surface of a housing of the image reading unit facing the discharge tray is constituted of a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is a surface at a front side of the discharge unit in a discharging direction and high with respect to the discharge tray.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 2, 2016Publication date: May 26, 2016Inventors: Kenji NAKANISHI, Masahiro IMOTO, Yasuhiro SUTO, Shohichi FUKUTOME, Hisashi YAMANAKA, Mitsuharu YOSHIMOTO
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Patent number: 9282213Abstract: A driving device is used in an image reading apparatus, and reciprocates a scanning unit for reading an image on an original. The driving device comprises a pull member, a driving pulley which transmits driving force to the pull member, a following pulley which applies tension to the pull member and a pulley holder having a pulley axis which holds the following pulley rotatably. Then, the pulley axis has a lock pawl capable of locking an upper end portion of the following pulley and canceling engagement with the following pulley by being tilted toward a side of an axial center by elastic deformation. Furthermore, the lock pawl is arranged at a side of a tension acting direction from the pull member to the following pulley except the farthest position from the driving pulley among positions in a circumferential direction of the pulley axis. It is possible to attach and detach the following pulley easily at a time of maintenance or the like.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2015Date of Patent: March 8, 2016Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahiro Imoto, Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Kenji Nakanishi, Kazuhiro Iguchi
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Patent number: 9280119Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit, an image forming unit, a discharge unit, and a discharge tray. The image reading unit is configured to read a document placed on a document placement table by moving and scanning of a scanning body in a sub-scanning direction. The image forming unit is configured to form an image read by the image reading unit on a paper sheet. The discharge unit is configured to discharge the paper sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit to a direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction. The discharge tray is on which the paper sheet from the discharge unit is to be placed with a space portion at a lower side of the image reading unit. A bottom surface of a housing of the image reading unit facing the discharge tray is constituted of a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is a surface at a front side of the discharge unit in a discharging direction and high with respect to the discharge tray.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2013Date of Patent: March 8, 2016Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kenji Nakanishi, Masahiro Imoto, Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Hisashi Yamanaka, Mitsuharu Yoshimoto
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Publication number: 20160006897Abstract: In an image forming device, a light-guiding member includes an integrated ridge extending in the longitudinal direction of the light-guiding member. The light-guiding member further includes a protrusion on the ridge. The illuminating device includes an attachment recess that holds the light-guiding member and a holder member that has a fit portion to which a protrusion is fitted. The protrusion is disposed at a position decentered to one end portion of the light-guiding member in the longitudinal direction of the light-guiding member.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 27, 2015Publication date: January 7, 2016Inventors: Yasuhiro SUTO, Kenji NAKANISHI, Shohichi FUKUTOME, Masahiro IMOTO, Kazuhiro IGUCHI, Hiroki KURUMA
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Publication number: 20150365556Abstract: An image reading apparatus has a light source unit for illuminating an object to be illuminated, a reading unit for reading the object illuminated by the light source unit, a reflective unit, having at least a first reflection mirror, for reflecting reading light reflected by the object toward the reading unit, and a first light blocking portion for partially blocking light except the reading light. The first reflection mirror has a reflecting surface for reflecting the reading light, and an end surface substantially orthogonal to the reflecting surface. The first light blocking portion extends in a longitudinal direction of the first reflection mirror toward the end surface of the first reflection mirror, with a tip end of the first light blocking portion being opposed to the end surface of the first reflection mirror with a gap therebetween.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 22, 2015Publication date: December 17, 2015Inventors: Masahiro IMOTO, Kenji NAKANISHI, Yasuhiro SUTO, Shohichi FUKUTOME, Kazuhiro IGUCHI, Hiroki KURUMA
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Patent number: 9160879Abstract: A light guiding body includes a long translucent body, a light incident surface formed at an end of the body in a longitudinal direction of the body, a light emitting surface formed on one side surface of the body along the longitudinal direction of the body, and a light emitting quantity adjusting portion formed on the other side surface of the body along the longitudinal direction of the body so as to be opposite to the light emitting surface. The light guiding body guides, in the body, light incident to the light incident surface, reflects the light by the light emitting quantity adjusting portion, and emits the light from the light emitting surface. A width of the light emitting quantity adjusting portion of the body in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body is varied according to a position in the width in the longitudinal direction.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2014Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Masahiro Imoto
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Patent number: 9110428Abstract: An image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body) and an automatic document feeder mounted on the apparatus main body are provided, and a cable-side connector provided at a front end of an electrical cable extending from the automatic document feeder is removably connected to a board-side connector provided on a circuit board of the apparatus main body. In this configuration, an opening portion is provided in a back face of a housing of the apparatus main body at a position opposing the board-side connector, a lid that covers this opening portion is attached to a front end portion of the electrical cable by an attachment member, and this lid is configured so as to be attachable to the opening portion by a hook and fixing by screwing by means of a screw insertion boss.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2012Date of Patent: August 18, 2015Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahiro Imoto, Yasumasa Morimoto, Toshiki Ohgita
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Publication number: 20150229800Abstract: A driving device is used in an image reading apparatus, and reciprocates a scanning unit for reading an image on an original. The driving device comprises a pull member, a driving pulley which transmits driving force to the pull member, a following pulley which applies tension to the pull member and a pulley holder having a pulley axis which holds the following pulley rotatably. Then, the pulley axis has a lock pawl capable of locking an upper end portion of the following pulley and canceling engagement with the following pulley by being tilted toward a side of an axial center by elastic deformation. Furthermore, the lock pawl is arranged at a side of a tension acting direction from the pull member to the following pulley except the farthest position from the driving pulley among positions in a circumferential direction of the pulley axis. It is possible to attach and detach the following pulley easily at a time of maintenance or the like.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2015Publication date: August 13, 2015Inventors: Masahiro IMOTO, Yasuhiro SUTO, Shohichi FUKUTOME, Kenji NAKANISHI, Kazuhiro IGUCHI
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Patent number: 9106782Abstract: An image reader is provided, in its housing, with a first scanning unit made up of an LED array of a plurality of LED elements that are arranged in a row in the horizontal scanning direction and that emit light to a document. An air intake port and an air exhaust port are disposed on the housing of the image reader. An imaginary line of an air flow path coupling the air intake port and the air exhaust port to one another is configured to pass adjacent a center of the LED array of the first scanning unit in the horizontal scanning direction with the first scanning unit stopped at a reading position of the document transferred by a document transfer device.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2014Date of Patent: August 11, 2015Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hisashi Yamanaka, Mitsuharu Yoshimoto, Kenji Nakanishi, Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Masahiro Imoto
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Publication number: 20150098744Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit, an image forming unit, a discharge unit, and a discharge tray. The image reading unit is configured to read a document placed on a document placement table by moving and scanning of a scanning body in a sub-scanning direction. The image forming unit is configured to form an image read by the image reading unit on a paper sheet. The discharge unit is configured to discharge the paper sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit to a direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction. The discharge tray is on which the paper sheet from the discharge unit is to be placed with a space portion at a lower side of the image reading unit. A bottom surface of a housing of the image reading unit facing the discharge tray is constituted of a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is a surface at a front side of the discharge unit in a discharging direction and high with respect to the discharge tray.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2013Publication date: April 9, 2015Inventors: Kenji Nakanishi, Masahiro Imoto, Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Hisashi Yamanaka, Mitsuharu Yoshimoto
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Publication number: 20150071676Abstract: An image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body) and an automatic document feeder mounted on the apparatus main body are provided, and a cable-side connector provided at a front end of an electrical cable extending from the automatic document feeder is removably connected to a board-side connector provided on a circuit board of the apparatus main body. In this configuration, an opening portion is provided in a back face of a housing of the apparatus main body at a position opposing the board-side connector, a lid that covers this opening portion is attached to a front end portion of the electrical cable by an attachment member, and this lid is configured so as to be attachable to the opening portion by a hook and fixing by screwing by means of a screw insertion boss.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2014Publication date: March 12, 2015Inventors: Masahiro IMOTO, Yasumasa MORIMOTO, Toshiki OHGITA
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Publication number: 20150055195Abstract: A light guiding body includes a long translucent body, a light incident surface formed at an end of the body in a longitudinal direction of the body, a light emitting surface formed on one side surface of the body along the longitudinal direction of the body, and a light emitting quantity adjusting portion formed on the other side surface of the body along the longitudinal direction of the body so as to be opposite to the light emitting surface. The light guiding body guides, in the body, light incident to the light incident surface, reflects the light by the light emitting quantity adjusting portion, and emits the light from the light emitting surface. A width of the light emitting quantity adjusting portion of the body in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body is varied according to a position in the width in the longitudinal direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2014Publication date: February 26, 2015Inventors: Yasuhiro SUTO, Shohichi FUKUTOME, Masahiro IMOTO
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Publication number: 20150022843Abstract: An image reader is provided, in its housing, with a first scanning unit made up of an LED array of a plurality of LED elements that are arranged in a row in the horizontal scanning direction and that emit light to a document. An air intake port and an air exhaust port are disposed on the housing of the image reader. An imaginary line of an air flow path coupling the air intake port and the air exhaust port to one another is configured to pass adjacent a center of the LED array of the first scanning unit in the horizontal scanning direction with the first scanning unit stopped at a reading position of the document transferred by a document transfer device.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2014Publication date: January 22, 2015Inventors: HISASHI YAMANAKA, MITSUHARU YOSHIMOTO, KENJI NAKANISHI, YASUHIRO SUTO, SHOHICHI FUKUTOME, MASAHIRO IMOTO
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Publication number: 20140376068Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes an image scanning unit that is provided with a holding portion holding a flexible flat cable. The holding portion is protruded toward an upstream side in a sub scanning direction, and provided with a second wall part. The flexible flat cable that is extended from a connector is brought into contact with the second wall part. As for the flexible flat cable, a downward movement is regulated by a lower holding portion and an upward movement is regulated by an upper holding portion. Accordingly, the flexible flat cable does not rise.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2014Publication date: December 25, 2014Inventors: Masahiro IMOTO, Yasuhiro SUTO, Hisashi YAMANAKA, Kenji NAKANISHI, Shohichi FUKUTOME, Kazuhiro IGUCHI
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Patent number: 8897667Abstract: An image reader is provided, in its housing, with a first scanning unit made up of an LED array of a plurality of LED elements that are arranged in a row in the horizontal scanning direction and that emit light to a document. An air intake port and an air exhaust port are disposed on the housing of the image reader. An imaginary line of an air flow path coupling the air intake port and the air exhaust port to one another is configured to pass adjacent a center of the LED array of the first scanning unit in the horizontal scanning direction with the first scanning unit stopped at a reading position of the document transferred by a document transfer device.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2012Date of Patent: November 25, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hisashi Yamanaka, Mitsuharu Yoshimoto, Kenji Nakanishi, Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Masahiro Imoto
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Patent number: 8780421Abstract: A transparent sheet is attached onto an inclined surface of an original guide plate of an image reading apparatus, and similarly, a transparent sheet is attached onto an inclined surface at an edge portion of a reading guide plate, thereby preventing an original from being chipped by the ground glass-like inclined surfaces and illumination light from being diffused by the ground glass-like inclined surfaces.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2011Date of Patent: July 15, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenji Nakanishi, Hiroshi Nakatani, Hisashi Yamanaka, Shohichi Fukutome, Yoshihisa Yamada, Masahiro Imoto, Yasuhiro Suto
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Patent number: 8625170Abstract: The present invention provides an illuminating device including a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in a line, the illuminating device illuminates an irradiation target by irradiating the irradiation target with light that is emitted from the light-emitting elements via a first and a second optical paths. In the illuminating device, a light diffusing portion for diffusing light is provided in one of the first optical path and the second optical path, and an irradiation light amount of said one of the first optical path and the second optical path in which the light diffusing portion is provided is larger than an irradiation light amount of the other optical path.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2011Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahiro Imoto, Mitsuharu Yoshimoto, Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Kenji Nakanishi, Hisashi Yamanaka, Yoshihisa Yamada
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Patent number: 8619339Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a reading glass, a second guide member, and a control section. The reading glass and the second guide member together form a document feed path. The second guide member includes a white reference plate. The control section performs, when it is determined that shading correction image data is affected by a stain, a stain location determination of whether the stain is attached to the reading glass or the second guide member according to a tone value variation in the portion of the shading correction image data that corresponds to the stain edge, the variation being along a predetermined distance in the main scanning direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2011Date of Patent: December 31, 2013Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shohichi Fukutome, Hironori Ogasawara, Mitsuharu Yoshimoto, Kenji Nakanishi, Masahiro Imoto, Yasuhiro Suto
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Patent number: 8462401Abstract: In one embodiment of a semiconductor apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of light-emitting elements provided with a light-emitting face are disposed at intervals in a line on a surface of a substrate, and serve as a light source apparatus that emits irradiating light forward from the light-emitting face along the surface of the substrate, and on a forward side of the light-emitting face in the surface of the substrate, a light reflection suppression area is formed extending forward with a width less than the width of the light-emitting face from a lower edge of the light-emitting face.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2010Date of Patent: June 11, 2013Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahiro Imoto, Mitsuharu Yoshimoto, Yasuhiro Suto, Shohichi Fukutome, Hisashi Yamanaka
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Publication number: 20120008155Abstract: A transparent sheet is attached onto an inclined surface of an original guide plate of an image reading apparatus, and similarly, a transparent sheet is attached onto an inclined surface at an edge portion of a reading guide plate, thereby preventing an original from being chipped by the ground glass-like inclined surfaces and illumination light from being diffused by the ground glass-like inclined surfaces.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 6, 2011Publication date: January 12, 2012Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kenji NAKANISHI, Hiroshi NAKATANI, Hisashi YAMANAKA, Shohichi FUKUTOME, Yoshihisa YAMADA, Masahiro IMOTO, Yasuhiro SUTO