Patents by Inventor Motoki HIRONAKA

Motoki HIRONAKA 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: 11054776
    Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing-surface-side member disposed on a fixing surface side on which a toner image is to be formed in a recording medium; a back-surface-side support member that is disposed on an opposite surface side to the fixing surface in the recording medium, and forms a fixing nip that nips and conveys the recording medium with the fixing-surface-side member; a heat source that heats the toner image formed on the recording medium passing through the fixing nip; a nip time changing part that can change a nip time that is a time required for the recording medium to pass through the fixing nip; and a hardware processor that controls the nip time changing part and the heat source to shorten the nip time and increase a fixing temperature of the toner image, and to lengthen the nip time and lower a fixing temperature of the toner image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Motoki Hironaka
  • Publication number: 20210003950
    Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing-surface-side member disposed on a fixing surface side on which a toner image is to be formed in a recording medium; a back-surface-side support member that is disposed on an opposite surface side to the fixing surface in the recording medium, and forms a fixing nip that nips and conveys the recording medium with the fixing-surface-side member; a heat source that heats the toner image formed on the recording medium passing through the fixing nip; a nip time changing part that can change a nip time that is a time required for the recording medium to pass through the fixing nip; and a hardware processor that controls the nip time changing part and the heat source to shorten the nip time and increase a fixing temperature of the toner image, and to lengthen the nip time and lower a fixing temperature of the toner image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventor: MOTOKI HIRONAKA
  • Publication number: 20190317442
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image former that forms a toner image on a recording material; a fixing device that pressurizes and heats the toner image formed on the recording material by the image former to be fixed on the recording material; and a hardware processor that estimates a remaining life of a predetermined fixing member on the basis of a temperature history in a temperature control period including a non-sheet passage time of the fixing member that forms a fixing nip in the fixing device and is raised in temperature and rotated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventors: Kazunori NISHINOUE, Toshihiro WAZUMI, Motoki HIRONAKA