Patents by Inventor Masayoshi Fukatsu

Masayoshi Fukatsu 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: 20220269212
    Abstract: A sheet processing includes a first conveyance path, a buffering portion, a second conveyance path, a conveyance roller pair, a supporting portion, a moving member, a regulating portion, and a processing unit. The buffering portion is configured to superimpose a first sheet and a second sheet on each other in a state of being offset from each other in a sheet conveyance direction. An offset amount, by which a leading end of the first sheet in the sheet conveyance direction projects downstream in the sheet conveyance direction with respect to a leading end of the second sheet in the sheet conveyance direction in a state before the first sheet and the second sheet are discharged onto the supporting portion, is larger than a distance from a sheet contact position of the moving member to the regulating portion in the sheet conveyance direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Jun Agata, Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Patent number: 11353817
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a buffering portion having a reverse conveyance roller pair and an intermediate roller pair, with the reverse conveyance roller pair reversing a conveyance direction of a sheet received from a first conveyance path and delivering the reversed sheet into a second conveyance path and being configured to come into contact with and be separated from each other. The intermediate roller pair is disposed in the second conveyance path and disposed upstream of a conveyance roller pair in a sheet conveyance direction, and the reverse conveyance roller pair is caused to nip a first sheet and a second sheet by causing the reverse conveyance roller pair to abut each other after receiving the second sheet by the reverse conveyance roller pair from the first conveyance path in a state in which the intermediate roller pair nips the first sheet reversed by the reverse conveyance roller pair and the reverse conveyance roller pair is separated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun Agata, Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Patent number: 11198581
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveyance member to convey a sheet, a pair of alignment members to move relatively in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet by the conveyance member, so as to align a position of the sheet in the width direction, and a lower portion to support a lower surface of the sheet between the pair of alignment members in the width direction. In addition, a pair of upper portions are arranged on one side and the other side of the lower portion in the width direction and each hold an upper surface of the sheet, wherein the pair of upper portions is positioned lower than the lower portion in a plane vertical to the conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichiro Okawa, Yasuhiro Nakahara, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Naoyuki Maeda
  • Publication number: 20200379397
    Abstract: A sheet processing includes a first conveyance path, a buffering portion, a second conveyance path, a conveyance roller pair, a supporting portion, a moving member, a regulating portion, and a processing unit. The buffering portion is configured to superimpose a first sheet and a second sheet on each other in a state of being offset from each other in a sheet conveyance direction. An offset amount, by which a leading end of the first sheet in the sheet conveyance direction projects downstream in the sheet conveyance direction with respect to a leading end of the second sheet in the sheet conveyance direction in a state before the first sheet and the second sheet are discharged onto the supporting portion, is larger than a distance from a sheet contact position of the moving member to the regulating portion in the sheet conveyance direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Jun Agata, Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Publication number: 20190300321
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a first and second alignment members that moves relatively in a width direction to align a position of a sheet in the width direction. Each alignment member includes a contact surface configured to come in contact with an end of the sheet in the width direction, a lower portion configured to support a lower surface of the sheet, and an upper portion facing an upper surface of the sheet. For each of the first and second alignment members, the lower portion is more distant from the contact surface than the upper portion in the width direction, the lower portion is positioned above a lower end of the contact surface in a gravity direction, and a distance between the upper portion and the lower portion in the gravity direction is smaller than a length of the contact surface in the gravity direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Yuichiro Okawa, Yasuhiro Nakahara, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Naoyuki Maeda
  • Patent number: 10358312
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveyance member configured to convey a sheet, and an alignment portion having a first alignment member and a second alignment member and configured to move relative positions of the first and second alignment members in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet by the conveyance member. Each alignment member includes a contact surface coming in contact with one end of the sheet in the width direction, a lower surface facing a lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface, a lower portion supporting the lower surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface, and an upper portion facing an upper surface of the sheet that is in contact with the contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuichiro Okawa, Yasuhiro Nakahara, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Naoyuki Maeda
  • Patent number: 10025251
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body of the image forming apparatus with an opening portion, an image forming unit, an accommodation portion, a stack portion, a sheet moving unit, and a control unit that controls switching between a first mode that moves, with the sheet moving unit, a sheet accommodated in the accommodation portion and stops the sheet when a part of the sheet is exposed external to the main body of the image forming apparatus from the opening portion, and a second mode that moves the sheet, with the sheet moving unit, accommodated in the accommodation portion and that discharges the sheet to the stack portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Yohei Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20180111782
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a first and second alignment members that moves relatively in a width direction to align a position of a sheet in the width direction. Each alignment member includes a contact surface configured to come in contact with an end of the sheet in the width direction, a lower portion configured to support a lower surface of the sheet, and an upper portion facing an upper surface of the sheet. For each of the first and second alignment members, the lower portion is more distant from the contact surface than the upper portion in the width direction, the lower portion is positioned above a lower end of the contact surface in a gravity direction, and a distance between the upper portion and the lower portion in the gravity direction is smaller than a length of the contact surface in the gravity direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: Yuichiro Okawa, Yasuhiro Nakahara, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Naoyuki Maeda
  • Publication number: 20180039216
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body of the image forming apparatus with an opening portion, an image forming unit, an accommodation portion, a stack portion, a sheet moving unit, and a control unit that controls switching between a first mode that moves, with the sheet moving unit, a sheet accommodated in the accommodation portion and stops the sheet when a part of the sheet is exposed external to the main body of the image forming apparatus from the opening portion, and a second mode that moves the sheet, with the sheet moving unit, accommodated in the accommodation portion and that discharges the sheet to the stack portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Inventors: Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Yohei Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9873585
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body having an opening, an image forming unit, storage portions, each to store a sheet inside the main body, and a moving unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The moving unit moves the sheet stored in each of the storage portions, and stop the sheet in an exposure state where a trailing edge of the sheet is inside the main body and a leading edge of the sheet is exposed outside the main body through the opening. The moving unit moves a first sheet stored in a first storage portion and a second sheet stored in a second storage portion, and stops the first sheet and the second sheet in the exposure state, wherein the leading edge of the first sheet and the leading edge of the second sheet are exposed outside the main body through the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Kaneko
  • Patent number: 9821977
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet storage device having a high sheet receiving performance and whose size is reduced. A point 272 of intersection of a first upper guide and a second upper guide is located upstream from a point 271 of intersection of a first lower guide and a second lower guide in a sheet conveyance direction. Thus, the size of the sheet storage device can be reduced while the sheet receiving performance remains unaffected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Kaneko, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Hiroharu Tsuji, Yohei Suzuki, Ichiro Yasumaru
  • Patent number: 9817354
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body of the image forming apparatus with an opening portion, an image forming unit, an accommodation portion, a stack portion, a sheet moving unit, and a control unit that controls switching between a first mode that moves, with the sheet moving unit, a sheet accommodated in the accommodation portion and stops the sheet when a part of the sheet is exposed external to the main body of the image forming apparatus from the opening portion, and a second mode that moves the sheet, with the sheet moving unit, accommodated in the accommodation portion and that discharges the sheet to the stack portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Yohei Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9791816
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an accommodation unit and a display unit. The accommodation unit accommodates a sheet having an image formed thereon. The display unit displays a selection screen that prompts a user to select information concerning a user who has given instructions to the accommodation unit to accommodate a sheet. The display unit displays a predetermined screen that represents a state or function of the image forming apparatus, and switches the predetermined screen to the selection screen on condition that the instructions have been received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yohei Suzuki, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Hiroharu Tsuji, Genki Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20170101283
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body having an opening, an image forming unit, storage portions, each to store a sheet inside the main body, and a moving unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The moving unit moves the sheet stored in each of the storage portions, and stop the sheet in an exposure state where a trailing edge of the sheet is inside the main body and a leading edge of the sheet is exposed outside the main body through the opening. The moving unit moves a first sheet stored in a first storage portion and a second sheet stored in a second storage portion, and stops the first sheet and the second sheet in the exposure state, wherein the leading edge of the first sheet and the leading edge of the second sheet are exposed outside the main body through the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Kaneko
  • Patent number: 9617090
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the invention includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; a plurality of storage portions each configured to store the sheet with the image formed thereon by the image forming unit; an opening configured to expose the sheet stored in the storage portion to the outside; and a sheet moving unit configured to move the sheet until a leading edge of the sheet stored in the storage portion passes the opening and a portion of the sheet is exposed from the opening to the outside. The sheet moving unit exposes sheets stored in a plurality of the storage portions in a stacked manner from the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Genki Takahashi, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Hiroharu Tsuji, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Kaneko, Kazuhisa Sato, Hajime Sugaya, Yuu Matsuda
  • Patent number: 9567181
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having an apparatus main body includes an image forming unit provided within the apparatus main body, a stacker portion provided on an upper surface of the apparatus main body, and a sheet storage portion provided between the image forming unit and the stacker portion. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The stacker portion may receive, as stacked sheets, sheets on which images are formed by the image forming unit. The sheet storage portion may store, within the apparatus main body, a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Kaneko
  • Patent number: 9557702
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a fixing unit including a first fixing member and a second fixing member opposing to the first fixing member, a curl correcting unit including a first curl correcting member and a second curl correcting member opposing to the first curl correcting member, a first changing member rotatable about a first rotation center, the first changing member changing a pressure to the sheet by the first fixing member and the second fixing member, and a second changing member rotatable about the first rotation center, the second changing member changing a pressure to the sheet by the first curl correcting member and the second curl correcting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Wataru Uchida, Ryo Iwasawa, Tomooku Koyama, Taro Ishifune, Mitsuhiro Ohta, Ken Murooka, Masayoshi Fukatsu
  • Patent number: 9551971
    Abstract: Provided is a sheet storage apparatus for storing a sheet conveyed by a sheet conveyance unit, wherein at a home position, at least a part of a sheet presence detection flag overlaps a rotational axis of a sheet presence detection flag of an adjacent sheet storage unit in a vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Yohei Suzuki, Daisuke Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20160378045
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body of the image forming apparatus with an opening portion, an image forming unit, an accommodation portion, a stack portion, a sheet moving unit, and a control unit that controls switching between a first mode that moves, with the sheet moving unit, a sheet accommodated in the accommodation portion and stops the sheet when a part of the sheet is exposed external to the main body of the image forming apparatus from the opening portion, and a second mode that moves the sheet, with the sheet moving unit, accommodated in the accommodation portion and that discharges the sheet to the stack portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Hiroharu Tsuji, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Yohei Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9388012
    Abstract: A sheet storing apparatus includes a plurality of sheet storing units. Each of the sheet storing unit includes a fixed stacking portion configured to stack thereon a sheet conveyed by conveyance roller pairs, and a pushing unit configured to contact an edge of the sheet stacked on the stacking portion and to move the sheet in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. A drive transmission unit for transmitting a driving force generated by a motor to drive the pushing unit is located upstream of the fixed stacking portion with respect to a direction in which the pushing unit moves the sheet. When the pushing unit is moving the sheet, a part of the drive transmission unit enters the inside of a sheet stacking range of the fixed stacking portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yohei Suzuki, Masayoshi Fukatsu, Hiroharu Tsuji