Patents by Inventor Masanobu Kanoto

Masanobu Kanoto 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: 10310436
    Abstract: A sheet discharge device includes a discharge roller, a first roller configured to form a first nip portion by contacting the discharge roller, a second roller configured to form a second nip portion by contacting the discharge roller on a downstream side of the first roller in a rotation direction of the discharge roller, an urging unit configured to urge the first roller and the second roller toward the discharge roller, and an adjustment unit configured to adjust a ratio of a pressure of the second nip portion to a pressure of the first nip portion in a state in which the first roller and the second roller are kept in contact with the discharge roller by the urging unit, wherein a sheet is conveyed while being simultaneously held by the first nip portion and the second nip portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Yamaguchi, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Patent number: 10221884
    Abstract: To provide a rotating shaft with which flexibility of forming a bend is increased, and the strength is increased while reducing the amount of material. A V-shaped rotating shaft formed by bending sheet metal. An angle formed on an inner side of a bent portion is less than 90°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Yamamoto, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Patent number: 10053320
    Abstract: The sheet conveyance apparatus includes first and second rollers, the second roller coming into contact with the first roller and thereby forming a nip portion, the second rotation axis being inclined with respect to the first rotation axis, wherein the second roller includes a first outer circumferential portion having a first outside diameter, a second outer circumferential portion arranged on one side of the first outer circumferential portion in an axial direction of the second rotation axis and having a second outside diameter larger than the first outside diameter, and a third outer circumferential portion arranged on the other side of the first outer circumferential portion, and wherein an outer circumferential surface of the first roller contacts with at least the first, second and third outer circumferential portions of the second roller, to form the nip portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Yamaguchi, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Publication number: 20170328399
    Abstract: To provide a rotating shaft with which flexibility of forming a bend is increased, and the strength is increased while reducing the amount of material. A V-shaped rotating shaft formed by bending sheet metal. An angle formed on an inner side of a bent portion is less than 90°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Inventors: Daisuke Yamamoto, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Publication number: 20170185026
    Abstract: A sheet discharge device includes a discharge roller, a first roller configured to form a first nip portion by contacting the discharge roller, a second roller configured to form a second nip portion by contacting the discharge roller on a downstream side of the first roller in a rotation direction of the discharge roller, an urging unit configured to urge the first roller and the second roller toward the discharge roller, and an adjustment unit configured to adjust a ratio of a pressure of the second nip portion to a pressure of the first nip portion in a state in which the first roller and the second roller are kept in contact with the discharge roller by the urging unit, wherein a sheet is conveyed while being simultaneously held by the first nip portion and the second nip portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroki Yamaguchi, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Publication number: 20170096310
    Abstract: The sheet conveyance apparatus includes first and second rollers, the second roller coming into contact with the first roller and thereby forming a nip portion, the second rotation axis being inclined with respect to the first rotation axis, wherein the second roller includes a first outer circumferential portion having a first outside diameter, a second outer circumferential portion arranged on one side of the first outer circumferential portion in an axial direction of the second rotation axis and having a second outside diameter larger than the first outside diameter, and a third outer circumferential portion arranged on the other side of the first outer circumferential portion, and wherein an outer circumferential surface of the first roller contacts with at least the first, second and third outer circumferential portions of the second roller, to form the nip portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroki Yamaguchi, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Patent number: 7448619
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus ejects the sheet to witch image processing unit perform to an ejection tray or a staple stacker by a pair of ejection rollers and the like. A sheet path for guiding the sheet to the ejection rollers is opened and closed in conjunction with slide movement of the ejection tray when the ejection tray is attached to a main body of the apparatus, and the sheet path is opened and closed in conjunction with the slide movement of a staple stacker when the staple stacker is attached to the main body of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Kuwata, Masanobu Kanoto, Yasuyoshi Hayakawa, Masao Amano, Kazuhide Kudo, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Publication number: 20080014000
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus ejects the sheet to witch image processing unit perform to an ejection tray or a staple stacker by a pair of ejection rollers and the like. A sheet path for guiding the sheet to the ejection rollers is opened and closed in conjunction with slide movement of the ejection tray when the ejection tray is attached to a main body of the apparatus, and the sheet path is opened and closed in conjunction with the slide movement of a staple stacker when the staple stacker is attached to the main body of the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: TAKASHI KUWATA, Masanobu Kanoto, Yasuyoshi Hayakawa, Masao Amano, Kazuhide Kudo, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Patent number: 7267338
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus ejects the sheet to witch image processing unit perform to an ejection tray or a staple stacker by a pair of ejection rollers and the like. A sheet path for guiding the sheet to the ejection rollers is opened and closed in conjunction with slide movement of the ejection tray when the ejection tray is attached to a main body of the apparatus, and the sheet path is opened and closed in conjunction with the slide movement of a staple stacker when the staple stacker is attached to the main body of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Kuwata, Masanobu Kanoto, Yasuyoshi Hayakawa, Masao Amano, Kazuhide Kudo, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Patent number: 6859626
    Abstract: A process cartridge detachable mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum with developer; a transferring roller for causing transfer of the developer image from the photosensitive drum to a recording material; a cleaner, contacted to the photosensitive drum, for removing a developer remaining on the photosensitive drum; a developer accommodating portion for accommodating developer removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaner; and a memory including a storing portion for storing predetermined information and a communicator for effecting wireless communication of the predetermined information stored in the storing portion with a main assembly side communicator provided in the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichiro Kimizuka, Masanobu Kanoto, Kazushige Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20040256792
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus ejects the sheet to witch image processing unit perform to an ejection tray or a staple stacker by a pair of ejection rollers and the like. A sheet path for guiding the sheet to the ejection rollers is opened and closed in conjunction with slide movement of the ejection tray when the ejection tray is attached to a main body of the apparatus, and the sheet path is opened and closed in conjunction with the slide movement of a staple stacker when the staple stacker is attached to the main body of the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Kuwata, Masanobu Kanoto, Yasuyoshi Hayakawa, Masao Amano, Kazuhide Kudo, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Publication number: 20030002880
    Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; charging means, contacted to the electrophotographic photosensitive drum along a length of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, for electrically charging the electrophotographic photosensitive drum by application of a bias voltage to the charging means; cleaning means, contacted to the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, for removing a developer remaining on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum; holding means for holding the cleaning means along the length of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum; and storing means including a storing portion for storing predetermined information and communicating means for effecting wireless communication of the predetermined information stored in the storing portion with main assembly side communicating means provided in a main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus;
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Eiichiro Kimizuka, Masanobu Kanoto, Kazushige Sakurai
  • Patent number: 6438327
    Abstract: A process cartridge detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; a charger, contacted to the electrophotographic photosensitive drum along a length of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, for electrically charging the electrophotographic photosensitive drum by application of a bias voltage to the charging means; a cleaner, contacted to the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, for removing a developer remaining on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum; a holder for holding the cleaning means along the length of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum; and a memory including a storing portion for storing predetermined information and a communicator for effecting wireless communication of the predetermined information stored in the storing portion with a main assembly side communicator provided in a main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus; wherein the memory is dispose
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiichiro Kimizuka, Masanobu Kanoto, Kazushige Sakurai
  • Patent number: 6330419
    Abstract: The present invention has an object to provide a fixing apparatus which is configured to easily facilitate to prevent a semi-melted developer on a recording medium from adhering to surfaces of upper rotary bodies and an image forming apparatus which is equipped with the fixing apparatus. This object is accomplished by configuring the fixing apparatus so that a sheet which has been subjected to a fixing treatment receives conveying forces from pinch rollers having rotating axial directions which are on a plane in parallel with a surface of the sheet and inclined at a predetermined angle &thgr; relative to rotating axial directions of a fixing roller and a press roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Sano, Masanobu Kanoto, Makoto Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 5909607
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly including an image forming station, a conveying unit for conveying a recording material on which the image forming station forms an image, the conveying unit including a recording material inlet, recording material feeding device and a recording material discharging outlet, and being supported on the main assembly for movement toward and away from the main assembly. The image forming station is at least partly disposed adjacent the conveying unit and is exposed when the conveying unit is moved away from the main assembly. When mounted to the main assembly, the convening unit constitutes a passage for conveying the recording material substantially in a vertical direction through the image forming station, and the conveying unit is separable, substantially along the conveying passage, from the main assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Kikuchi, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Patent number: 5875374
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly and a detachable process cartridge mountable to the main assembly. The main assembly has a rotatable image transfer roller for transferring a toner image onto a recording sheet and the process cartridge has a rotatable photosensitive member, a device to form an image on that photosensitive member, a driving force receiving unit provided in the photosensitive member for receiving a driving force from the main assembly so as to rotate the photosensitive member and a driving force outputting unit provided in the photosensitive member for outputting the driving force back to the main assembly to rotate the image transfer roller in the main assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Kikuchi, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Patent number: 5708954
    Abstract: This invention relates to a resupplying apparatus detachably attached to an image forming apparatus body which comprise a resupplying passage connecting a sheet material passage on a downstream side of an image forming means in the image forming apparatus body with another sheet material passage on an upstream side of the image forming means. Also, the resupplying apparatus comprises switchback conveying means placed in the resupplying passage for reversing the conveyance direction of the sheet material upon reception of the sheet material from a conveyer in the image forming apparatus body, said switchback conveying means at least partially assembled in the image forming apparatus body; and resupplying means for returning the sheet material to the upstream side of the image forming means through the resupplying passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masao Ando, Masanobu Kanoto, Kiyoharu Yoshioka, Kazuhide Kudo, Makoto Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 5640649
    Abstract: A process cartridge is detachably mountable on an image forming apparatus and has as its components a frame, a photosensitive member inside the frame, a charging device, a developer for supplying developer to the photosensitive member and a cleaning device for removing residual matter from the photosensitive member. When the process cartridge is mounted to the main assembly a light path extending substantially horizontally is formed for permitting external light corresponding to image information to reach the photosensitive member. The light path is formed between the developer container and the residual matter container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Kikuchi, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Patent number: 5614992
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly including an image forming station, a conveying unit for conveying a recording material on which the image forming station forms an image, the conveying unit including a recording material inlet, recording material feeding device and a recording material discharging outlet, and being supported on the main assembly for movement toward and away from the main assembly. The image forming station is at least partly disposed adjacent the conveying unit and is exposed when the conveying unit is moved away from the main assembly. When mounted to the main assembly, the conveying unit constitutes a passage for conveying the recording material substantially in a vertical direction through the image forming station, and the conveying unit is separable, substantially along the conveying passage, from the main assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Kikuchi, Masanobu Kanoto
  • Patent number: 5365259
    Abstract: A scanning optical device focuses a laser beam emitted by a laser oscillator by a first lens, scans it by a deflector to direct it onto a medium to be scanned, by a second lens, deflects a portion of the light transmitted through the second lens by a stationary mirror, directs it to a photo-sensor by a third lens and uses an output of the photo-sensor to trigger a horizontal synchronous signal. At least two of the first lens, the second lens and the third lens are integrally formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanobu Kanoto, Yasuo Suzuki