Patents by Inventor Motofumi OTANI

Motofumi OTANI 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: 20240399769
    Abstract: A medium heating apparatus includes a heating unit to heat a medium, a control unit to control the heating unit, a main frame to house the control unit, a sub frame attached to the main frame, and an air blower that blows air to the control unit. The heating unit includes a heat source. The heating unit and the main frame are arranged in a first direction. The main frame and the sub frame are arranged in a second direction. An intake port is open at the main frame, a ventilation port in communication with the intake port and an air drawing port in communication with outside of the sub frame are open at the sub frame. The blower blows air into the main frame through the intake, the ventilation and the air drawing ports. The air drawing port does not overlap the heating unit in the second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2024
    Publication date: December 5, 2024
    Inventors: Kenichiro KANEKO, Motofumi OTANI
  • Publication number: 20240259509
    Abstract: The printing device includes an operation section 15, an angle adjustment mechanism 60, a locking mechanism 70, and a raising mechanism 80. The locking mechanism 70 switches from the locked state to the unlocked state when a specific operation is performed on the operation section 15 in the locked state. The angle adjustment mechanism 60 is provided with the receiving member 63 provided in the operation section 15, and a contacting member 64 for holding the operation section 15 at an arbitrary angle by the raising mechanism 80 of the operation section 15. The receiving member 63 is provided with a portion where the contacting force of the contacting member 64 to the receiving member 63 becomes smaller than the predetermined force in the process that the operation section 15 is raised by the prescribed angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2024
    Publication date: August 1, 2024
    Inventors: Munetoyo AONO, Motofumi OTANI
  • Patent number: 11838470
    Abstract: A reading apparatus includes a reading part that reads information of a document, a housing that accommodates the reading part, a document feeding port through which the document is fed, a cover member disposed on the housing to be displaced to an open position at which the document feeding port is open and a closed position at which the document feeding port is closed, a drive source that displaces the cover member to the open position and the closed position, a position detection mechanism that detects a position of the cover member, and a control part, wherein the control part is configured to displace the cover member to the closed position by the drive source when a time during which reading by the reading part is not performed exceeds a predetermined time, and the position detection mechanism detects that the cover member is at the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Motofumi Otani, Kazumitsu Fujimori, Satoru Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20230208992
    Abstract: A reading apparatus includes a reading part that reads information of a document, a housing that accommodates the reading part, a document feeding port through which the document is fed, a cover member disposed on the housing to be displaced to an open position at which the document feeding port is open and a closed position at which the document feeding port is closed, a drive source that displaces the cover member to the open position and the closed position, a position detection mechanism that detects a position of the cover member, and a control part, wherein the control part is configured to displace the cover member to the closed position by the drive source when a time during which reading by the reading part is not performed exceeds a predetermined time, and the position detection mechanism detects that the cover member is at the open position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Inventors: Motofumi OTANI, Kazumitsu FUJIMORI, Satoru MIYAMOTO
  • Patent number: 11089173
    Abstract: A scanner apparatus includes a housing including an insertion port into which a medium is inserted, a discharge port from which the medium is discharged, a conveying roller configured to convey the medium inserted from the scanning insertion port, and a scanning unit configured to scan the medium conveyed by the conveying roller. The scanning insertion port and the discharge port are provided on a +Y direction side of the housing. The housing includes a placement face extending in a ?Y direction from the scanning insertion port. The placement face, when a first end of the medium is inserted into the scanning insertion port, is able to support a portion of the medium on a second end side opposite to the first end. The first end of the medium is discharged from the discharge port in a direction on the +Y direction side or in a ?Z direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yuta Watanabe, Koji Higuchi, Naohiro Ueyama, Motofumi Otani
  • Publication number: 20200296240
    Abstract: A scanner apparatus includes a housing including an insertion port into which a medium is inserted, a discharge port from which the medium is discharged, a conveying roller configured to convey the medium inserted from the scanning insertion port, and a scanning unit configured to scan the medium conveyed by the conveying roller. The scanning insertion port and the discharge port are provided on a +Y direction side of the housing. The housing includes a placement face extending in a ?Y direction from the scanning insertion port. The placement face, when a first end of the medium is inserted into the scanning insertion port, is able to support a portion of the medium on a second end side opposite to the first end. The first end of the medium is discharged from the discharge port in a direction on the +Y direction side or in a ?Z direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Yuta WATANABE, Koji HIGUCHI, Naohiro UEYAMA, Motofumi OTANI
  • Patent number: 10708457
    Abstract: A scanner apparatus includes a housing including an insertion port into which a medium is inserted, a discharge port from which the medium is discharged, a conveying roller configured to convey the medium inserted from the scanning insertion port, and a scanning unit configured to scan the medium conveyed by the conveying roller. The scanning insertion port and the discharge port are provided on a +Y direction side of the housing. The housing includes a placement face extending in a ?Y direction from the scanning insertion port. The placement face, when a first end of the medium is inserted into the scanning insertion port, is able to support a portion of the medium on a second end side opposite to the first end. The first end of the medium is discharged from the discharge port in a direction on the +Y direction side or in a ?Z direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yuta Watanabe, Koji Higuchi, Naohiro Ueyama, Motofumi Otani
  • Patent number: 10686956
    Abstract: A reading apparatus includes a cover configured to pivot to an open position and a closed position, a lock mechanism configured to restrict the cover in the closed position from pivoting to the open position, and a reading unit provided in the cover or in a member facing the cover in the closed position, and configured to read a medium when the cover is in the closed position. The cover includes a protruding portion. A latch face configured to come into contact with a face of the protruding portion facing toward one direction along a first axis when the cover is in a closed position, the first axis being orthogonal to a pivoting shaft of the cover. The latch face is configured to move in the other direction along the first axis when the latch moves from a lock release position to a lock position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naohiro Ueyama, Motofumi Otani
  • Publication number: 20190306356
    Abstract: A scanner apparatus includes a housing including an insertion port into which a medium is inserted, a discharge port from which the medium is discharged, a conveying roller configured to convey the medium inserted from the scanning insertion port, and a scanning unit configured to scan the medium conveyed by the conveying roller. The scanning insertion port and the discharge port are provided on a +Y direction side of the housing. The housing includes a placement face extending in a ?Y direction from the scanning insertion port. The placement face, when a first end of the medium is inserted into the scanning insertion port, is able to support a portion of the medium on a second end side opposite to the first end. The first end of the medium is discharged from the discharge port in a direction on the +Y direction side or in a ?Z direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Yuta WATANABE, Koji HIGUCHI, Naohiro UEYAMA, Motofumi OTANI
  • Publication number: 20190306351
    Abstract: A reading apparatus includes a cover configured to pivot to an open position and a closed position, a lock mechanism configured to restrict the cover in the closed position from pivoting to the open position, and a reading unit provided in the cover or in a member facing the cover in the closed position, and configured to read a medium when the cover is in the closed position. The cover includes a protruding portion. A latch face configured to come into contact with a face of the protruding portion facing toward one direction along a first axis when the cover is in a closed position, the first axis being orthogonal to a pivoting shaft of the cover. The latch face is configured to move in the other direction along the first axis when the latch moves from a lock release position to a lock position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Naohiro UEYAMA, Motofumi OTANI