Patents by Inventor Michio Sugano

Michio Sugano 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: 10409204
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a feeding unit for feeding a recording material, and a calculating unit for calculating a degree of deterioration of the feeding unit, while making correction depending on stiffness of the recording material and a content of a filler contained in the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shun-ichi Ebihara, Tomonori Shida, Michio Sugano
  • Patent number: 10308452
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a stacking unit, an access detecting unit, a malfunction detecting unit, a counting unit, and a process deciding unit. The stacking unit receives, as stacked, a recording material. The access detecting unit detects an access to the stacking unit by an operator. The malfunction detecting unit detects that a conveyance malfunction of the recording material has occurred on a conveying path guiding the recording material supplied from the stacking unit. The counting unit counts, after the access detecting unit detects an access to the stacking unit by the operator in a state that the malfunction detecting unit does not detect that the conveyance malfunction has occurred, the number of the conveyance malfunction detected by the malfunction detecting unit. The process deciding unit decides a process to address the conveyance malfunction based on the number of the conveyance malfunction counted by the counting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Michio Sugano
  • Patent number: 10142515
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an input unit configured to input image data, an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording material based on the input image data, a reading unit configured to read the image formed on the recording material, and a control unit configured to, based on the input image data and the image read by the reading unit, acquire a plurality of change amounts from the read image, and determine a type of an abnormal image based on a plurality of the acquired change amounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuki Nishizawa, Hiroyuki Yamazaki, Michio Sugano
  • Publication number: 20180246444
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a feeding unit for feeding a recording material, and a calculating unit for calculating a degree of deterioration of the feeding unit, while making correction depending on stiffness of the recording material and a content of a filler contained in the recording material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Shun-ichi Ebihara, Tomonori Shida, Michio Sugano
  • Publication number: 20180246460
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a stacking unit, an access detecting unit, a malfunction detecting unit, a counting unit, and a process deciding unit. The stacking unit receives, as stacked, a recording material. The access detecting unit detects an access to the stacking unit by an operator. The malfunction detecting unit detects that a conveyance malfunction of the recording material has occurred on a conveying path guiding the recording material supplied from the stacking unit. The counting unit counts, after the access detecting unit detects an access to the stacking unit by the operator in a state that the malfunction detecting unit does not detect that the conveyance malfunction has occurred, the number of the conveyance malfunction detected by the malfunction detecting unit. The process deciding unit decides a process to address the conveyance malfunction based on the number of the conveyance malfunction counted by the counting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventor: Michio Sugano
  • Patent number: 9989899
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a feeding unit for feeding a recording material, and a calculating unit for calculating a degree of deterioration of the feeding unit, while making correction depending on stiffness of the recording material and a content of a filler contained in the recording material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shun-ichi Ebihara, Tomonori Shida, Michio Sugano
  • Patent number: 9964889
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a development unit configured to develop, using a developer, the electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier and form a developer image in a region where the image carrier faces the development unit; a supply unit configured to output a supply bias, supply the developer to the development unit, and collect the developer from the development unit; a reception unit configured to receive image data; an analysis unit configured to analyze a non-image region where the developer image is not formed from the image data; and a control unit configured to control the supply bias in accordance with a length of the non-image region where the developer image is not formed in a rotation direction of the image carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Michio Sugano
  • Patent number: 9802778
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus may comprise the following elements. A stacking unit in which a sheet is stacked. A conveyance unit conveys the sheet. A time-counting unit counts a conveyance time from when the conveyance unit starts to convey the sheet until the sheet arrives at a predetermined position on a conveyance path. A determination unit determines that over stacking has occurred, if the conveyance time of the sheet exceeds a first over stacking threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken-ichiro Isobe, Michio Sugano
  • Publication number: 20170244862
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an input unit configured to input image data, an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording material based on the input image data, a reading unit configured to read the image formed on the recording material, and a control unit configured to, based on the input image data and the image read by the reading unit, acquire a plurality of change amounts from the read image, and determine a type of an abnormal image based on a plurality of the acquired change amounts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Inventors: Yuki Nishizawa, Hiroyuki Yamazaki, Michio Sugano
  • Publication number: 20170123352
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a feeding unit for feeding a recording material, and a calculating unit for calculating a degree of deterioration of the feeding unit, while making correction depending on stiffness of the recording material and a content of a filler contained in the recording material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Inventors: Shun-ichi Ebihara, Tomonori Shida, Michio Sugano
  • Publication number: 20160378043
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus may comprise the following elements. A stacking unit in which a sheet is stacked. A conveyance unit conveys the sheet. A time-counting unit counts a conveyance time from when the conveyance unit starts to convey the sheet until the sheet arrives at a predetermined position on a conveyance path. A determination unit determines that over stacking has occurred, if the conveyance time of the sheet exceeds a first over stacking threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Ken-ichiro Isobe, Michio Sugano
  • Publication number: 20160259265
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a development unit configured to develop, using a developer, the electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier and form a developer image in a region where the image carrier faces the development unit; a supply unit configured to output a supply bias, supply the developer to the development unit, and collect the developer from the development unit; a reception unit configured to receive image data; an analysis unit configured to analyze a non-image region where the developer image is not formed from the image data; and a control unit configured to control the supply bias in accordance with a length of the non-image region where the developer image is not formed in a rotation direction of the image carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Inventor: Michio Sugano
  • Patent number: 8385757
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a reception unit, an image forming unit, a drive unit, a detection unit, a prediction unit, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms an image based on image information received by the reception unit. The drive unit controls an imaging forming unit drive. The detection unit detects temperature within the image forming apparatus. The prediction unit predicts a transition of temperature within the image forming apparatus and an image formation time based on the image information and the temperature within the image formation unit. The control unit is responsive to detected temperature and predicted image forming time. The control unit switches between image forming modes and controls the image forming apparatus to form an image in a short image forming time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Michio Sugano
  • Publication number: 20110142460
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a reception unit, an image forming unit, a drive unit, a detection unit, a prediction unit, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms an image based on image information received by the reception unit. The drive unit controls an imaging forming unit drive. The detection unit detects temperature within the image forming apparatus. The prediction unit predicts a transition of temperature within the image forming apparatus and an image formation time based on the image information and the temperature within the image formation unit. The control unit is responsive to detected temperature and predicted image forming time. The control unit switches between image forming modes and controls the image forming apparatus to form an image in a short image forming time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Michio Sugano