Patents by Inventor Munehito Kurata
Munehito Kurata 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).
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Patent number: 11586136Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to, in executing a job to form images continuously on a plurality of sheets of a recording material, accumulate an addition amount per sheet to an index in accordance with a number of sheets of the recording material to which images are formed in the job. A value of the addition amount per sheet is determined in correspondence with an attribute of the recording material used in the job. The control unit is configured to, during execution of the job, change a throughput of the job so that images are formed at a first throughput if an accumulated value of the index still does not exceed a predetermined threshold value and images are formed at a second throughput slower than the first throughput if the accumulated value of the index has exceeded the threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2021Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroki Eguchi, Munehito Kurata
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Publication number: 20230037748Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to execute a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is a mode in which a toner image is formed on a sheet at a time when a sheet passes through an image formation position for a first time after detecting a property of the sheet by a detection unit. Wherein the second mode is a mode in which a toner image is not formed on a sheet at the time when the sheet passes through the image formation position for the first time after detecting the property of the sheet by the detection unit and is formed on the sheet at a time when the sheet is conveyed via the second conveyance path and passes through the image formation position for a second time.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 23, 2022Publication date: February 9, 2023Inventors: Munehito Kurata, Keisuke Mochizuki, Tetsuichiro Fujimoto
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Patent number: 11487228Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to execute a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is a mode in which a toner image is formed on a sheet at a time when a sheet passes through an image formation position for a first time after detecting a property of the sheet by a detection unit. Wherein the second mode is a mode in which a toner image is not formed on a sheet at the time when the sheet passes through the image formation position for the first time after detecting the property of the sheet by the detection unit and is formed on the sheet at a time when the sheet is conveyed via the second conveyance path and passes through the image formation position for a second time.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2021Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Munehito Kurata, Keisuke Mochizuki, Tetsuichiro Fujimoto
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Publication number: 20220326640Abstract: The present invention provides an image heating apparatus including an acquiring portion which acquires thickness information of a recording material, and a control portion controls a power to be supplied to a heating element which heats a region where the recording material does not pass through among a plurality of heating regions based on a control target temperature which is set based on the thickness information.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2022Publication date: October 13, 2022Inventor: Munehito Kurata
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Patent number: 11402775Abstract: The present invention provides an image heating apparatus including an acquiring portion which acquires thickness information of a recording material, and a control portion controls a power to be supplied to a heating element which heats a region where the recording material does not pass through among a plurality of heating regions based on a control target temperature which is set based on the thickness information.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2021Date of Patent: August 2, 2022Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Munehito Kurata
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Publication number: 20220019163Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to execute a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is a mode in which a toner image is formed on a sheet at a time when a sheet passes through an image formation position for a first time after detecting a property of the sheet by a detection unit. Wherein the second mode is a mode in which a toner image is not formed on a sheet at the time when the sheet passes through the image formation position for the first time after detecting the property of the sheet by the detection unit and is formed on the sheet at a time when the sheet is conveyed via the second conveyance path and passes through the image formation position for a second time.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2021Publication date: January 20, 2022Inventors: Munehito Kurata, Keisuke Mochizuki, Tetsuichiro Fujimoto
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Publication number: 20210232076Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to, in executing a job to form images continuously on a plurality of sheets of a recording material, accumulate an addition amount per sheet to an index in accordance with a number of sheets of the recording material to which images are formed in the job. A value of the addition amount per sheet is determined in correspondence with an attribute of the recording material used in the job. The control unit is configured to, during execution of the job, change a throughput of the job so that images are formed at a first throughput if an accumulated value of the index still does not exceed a predetermined threshold value and images are formed at a second throughput slower than the first throughput if the accumulated value of the index has exceeded the threshold value.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2021Publication date: July 29, 2021Inventors: Hiroki Eguchi, Munehito Kurata
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Patent number: 11067926Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material has a second image forming mode that (i) controls the target control temperature of a heater to be lower than in a normal image forming mode and at least (ii) extends a period of time from the start of image forming to a point of time at which the recording material reaches the nip portion to be longer than in the normal image forming mode based on (A) recording material information indicating the hardness of the recording material, at least one of (B) margin information indicating the size of the margin at the leading end in the transport direction of the recording material and (C) toner amount information at the leading end of the image formed on the recording material, and (D) information of an environment in which the image forming apparatus is installed.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2019Date of Patent: July 20, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shinji Hashiguchi, Munehito Kurata
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Patent number: 11029627Abstract: In a fixing apparatus 200 having a heater 300 capable of selectively causing a plurality of heat generating blocks divided in a longitudinal direction of a substrate 305 to generate heat, an energization control portion 400 acquires, when performing a fixing operation, a cumulative amount of heat generation in each of a plurality of heating areas, a cumulative rotation time of a pressure roller 208, and information on a recording material that passes through a fixing nip portion, and controls energization of heat generating elements 302a and 302b on the basis of the acquired information.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2020Date of Patent: June 8, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroshi Kataoka, Atsushi Iwasaki, Hirokazu Okugawa, Munehito Kurata
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Publication number: 20210124293Abstract: The present invention provides an image heating apparatus including an acquiring portion which acquires thickness information of a recording material, and a control portion controls a power to be supplied to a heating element which heats a region where the recording material does not pass through among a plurality of heating regions based on a control target temperature which is set based on the thickness information.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2021Publication date: April 29, 2021Inventor: Munehito Kurata
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Publication number: 20210116848Abstract: A supporting member supporting a heating member includes a lubricant storage portion storing a lubricant on an upstream side of a nip portion in a rotation direction of an endless film sliding with respect to the heating member. The supporting member further includes a lubricant supplying portion supplying the lubricant stored in the lubricant storage portion to an inner peripheral surface of the film. An amount of the lubricant supplied from the lubricant supplying portion to the inner peripheral surface of the film per unit time is larger in an area through which a small-sized recording material smaller than a maximum-sized recording material fixable by the image heating device does not pass in a longitudinal direction than in an area through which the small-sized recording material passes.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2020Publication date: April 22, 2021Inventors: Satoru Taniguchi, Munehito Kurata
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Patent number: 10983461Abstract: The present invention provides an image heating apparatus including an acquiring portion which acquires thickness information of a recording material, and a control portion controls a power to be supplied to a heating element which heats a region where the recording material does not pass through among a plurality of heating regions based on a control target temperature which is set based on the thickness information.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2019Date of Patent: April 20, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Munehito Kurata
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Patent number: 10908539Abstract: A supporting member supporting a heating member includes a lubricant storage portion storing a lubricant on an upstream side of a nip portion in a rotation direction of an endless film sliding with respect to the heating member. The supporting member further includes a lubricant supplying portion supplying the lubricant stored in the lubricant storage portion to an inner peripheral surface of the film. An amount of the lubricant supplied from the lubricant supplying portion to the inner peripheral surface of the film per unit time is larger in an area through which a small-sized recording material smaller than a maximum-sized recording material fixable by the image heating device does not pass in a longitudinal direction than in an area through which the small-sized recording material passes.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2019Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Satoru Taniguchi, Munehito Kurata
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Patent number: 10712984Abstract: A control unit of the invention compares printing setting suitable for a determined type of a recording material and printing setting of the recording material input by a user, and in a case where a difference between the printing setting suitable for the determined type of the recording material and the printing setting of the recording material input by the user falls in a predetermined range, the control unit performs a printing operation in accordance with the printing setting of the recording material input by the user, and in a case where the difference is greater than the predetermined range, the control unit performs the printing operation by changing the printing setting of the recording material input by the user, which is used when the difference is smaller than the predetermined range.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2020Date of Patent: July 14, 2020Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ryo Suzuki, Munehito Kurata, Teruhiko Namiki, Yasuhisa Matsumoto
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Patent number: 10712692Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit to fix a toner image which has been transferred onto a sheet by a transfer portion, a loop detector to detect an amount of a loop formed on the sheet at a position between the transfer portion and the fixing unit, and a controller to control a sheet conveyance speed of the fixing unit based on a detection result of the loop detector and control a rotational speed of rotary members to convey the sheet based on an area ratio which is a ratio of an area in which the toner image is formed by the transfer portion within a predetermined region set on a printing surface of the sheet onto which the toner image is transferred. The predetermined region is located at a position distant from a leading edge of the sheet more than a distance between the transfer portion and the fixing unit in the sheet conveyance direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2019Date of Patent: July 14, 2020Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Munehito Kurata, Shinji Hashiguchi, Satoshi Murasaki
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Publication number: 20200209787Abstract: A supporting member supporting a heating member includes a lubricant storage portion storing a lubricant on an upstream side of a nip portion in a rotation direction of an endless film sliding with respect to the heating member. The supporting member further includes a lubricant supplying portion supplying the lubricant stored in the lubricant storage portion to an inner peripheral surface of the film. An amount of the lubricant supplied from the lubricant supplying portion to the inner peripheral surface of the film per unit time is larger in an area through which a small-sized recording material smaller than a maximum-sized recording material fixable by the image heating device does not pass in a longitudinal direction than in an area through which the small-sized recording material passes.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2019Publication date: July 2, 2020Inventors: Satoru Taniguchi, Munehito Kurata
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Publication number: 20200201215Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material has a second image forming mode that (i) controls the target control temperature of a heater to be lower than in a normal image forming mode and at least (ii) extends a period of time from the start of image forming to a point of time at which the recording material reaches the nip portion to be longer than in the normal image forming mode based on (A) recording material information indicating the hardness of the recording material, at least one of (B) margin information indicating the size of the margin at the leading end in the transport direction of the recording material and (C) toner amount information at the leading end of the image formed on the recording material, and (D) information of an environment in which the image forming apparatus is installed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2019Publication date: June 25, 2020Inventors: Shinji Hashiguchi, Munehito Kurata
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Publication number: 20200174409Abstract: In a fixing apparatus 200 having a heater 300 capable of selectively causing a plurality of heat generating blocks divided in a longitudinal direction of a substrate 305 to generate heat, an energization control portion 400 acquires, when performing a fixing operation, a cumulative amount of heat generation in each of a plurality of heating areas, a cumulative rotation time of a pressure roller 208, and information on a recording material that passes through a fixing nip portion, and controls energization of heat generating elements 302a and 302b on the basis of the acquired information.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2020Publication date: June 4, 2020Inventors: Hiroshi Kataoka, Atsushi Iwasaki, Hirokazu Okugawa, Munehito Kurata
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Publication number: 20200150913Abstract: A control unit of the invention compares printing setting suitable for a determined type of a recording material and printing setting of the recording material input by a user, and in a case where a difference between the printing setting suitable for the determined type of the recording material and the printing setting of the recording material input by the user falls in a predetermined range, the control unit performs a printing operation in accordance with the printing setting of the recording material input by the user, and in a case where the difference is greater than the predetermined range, the control unit performs the printing operation by changing the printing setting of the recording material input by the user, which is used when the difference is smaller than the predetermined range.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 17, 2020Publication date: May 14, 2020Inventors: Ryo Suzuki, Munehito Kurata, Teruhiko Namiki, Yasuhisa Matsumoto
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Patent number: 10558410Abstract: A control unit of the invention compares printing setting suitable for a determined type of a recording material and printing setting of the recording material input by a user, and in a case where a difference between the printing setting suitable for the determined type of the recording material and the printing setting of the recording material input by the user falls in a predetermined range, the control unit performs a printing operation in accordance with the printing setting of the recording material input by the user, and in a case where the difference is greater than the predetermined range, the control unit performs the printing operation by changing the printing setting of the recording material input by the user, which is used when the difference is smaller than the predetermined range.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2018Date of Patent: February 11, 2020Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ryo Suzuki, Munehito Kurata, Teruhiko Namiki, Yasuhisa Matsumoto