Patents by Inventor Naoto Tokuma

Naoto Tokuma 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: 9387717
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet conveying portion conveying a sheet to a sheet stacking portion; a regulating portion regulating a position of the sheet on the stacking portion; a rotary member pair having first and second rotary members and conveying the sheet toward the regulating portion through rotation in a first direction, and conveying a bound sheet bundle through rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a moving portion moving the second rotary member to a separation position after the rotary member pair conveys the sheet, and moving the second rotary member to a nipping position before the rotary member pair conveys the sheet bundle; and a control portion controlling to rotate the rotary member pair in the second direction after the second rotary member is moved to the separation position and before the second rotary member is moved to the nipping position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Iwata, Naoto Tokuma
  • Publication number: 20150314626
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a first stacking portion on which a sheet conveyed by a conveying portion is stacked, a binding portion which forms, in a sheet bundle stacked on the first stacking portion, a tongue cut out from the sheet, with a part of the tongue attached to the sheet, and a slit, and which binds the sheet bundle by inserting a tip of the tongue of the sheet bundle in the slit of the sheet bundle, and a second stacking portion on which the sheet bundle bound by the binding portion is stacked. In the sheet processing apparatus, a plurality of recessed parts is formed on a guide face of the binding portion, the recessed parts extending in different directions from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Inventors: Hideki Kushida, Kiyoshi Watanabe, Naoto Tokuma, Toshiyuki Iwata, Akito Sekigawa
  • Patent number: 9102497
    Abstract: The invention provides a sheet stacking apparatus including a stacking tray whose stacking surface is inclined, a sheet presence/absence detecting sensor that detects presence and absence of a sheet on the stacking surface, an abutting member to which an end of the sheet on the stacking surface abuts, an alignment mechanism that aligns the sheet on the stacking surface widthwise by a pair of aligning members, and a control portion that controls the aligning mechanism. Determining presence of the sheet on the stacking tray from a detected result of the sheet presence/absence detecting sensor, the control portion aligns the sheet by setting a distance between aligning faces of the pair of aligning members as a first distance, and determining absence of the sheet, the control portion sets the distance between the aligning faces of the pair of aligning members as a second distance which is wider than the first distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoto Tokuma
  • Patent number: 9067753
    Abstract: In a finisher in which a sheet discharged by a pair of discharge rollers is stacked on a stack tray moveably provided in a sheet stack direction so that the position of a top surface of the sheet is constant and the sheet stacked on the stack tray is aligned by a pair of aligning members moveably provided in a width direction perpendicular to a discharge direction of the sheet, as a stack amount of the sheets stacked on the stack tray, which amount is detected by a stack amount detecting portion, is increased, the pair of aligning members upon the alignment are controlled to approach the top sheet stacked on the stack tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Tokuma, Akito Sekigawa
  • Patent number: 9033330
    Abstract: A first discharging portion that discharges a sheet received from one of image forming apparatus and a second discharging portion discharges a sheet received from another image forming apparatus are disposed opposite each other to stack the sheets discharged in a common processing tray. A controller controls the first and second discharging portions when the sheets are continuously discharged by the first and second discharging portions, controls a timing when the sheets are discharged by the first discharging portion and the second discharging portion to the common processing tray such that a leading edge of the sheet discharged from one of the discharging portions abuts on a sheet surface in the downstream of a discharging direction below a leading edge of the sheet discharged from the other discharging portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoto Tokuma
  • Publication number: 20150123338
    Abstract: Provided is a sheet processing apparatus, including: a sheet conveying portion conveying a sheet to a sheet stacking portion; a regulating portion regulating a position of the sheet on the stacking portion; a rotary member pair having first and second rotary members and conveying the sheet toward the regulating portion through rotation in a first direction, and conveying a bound sheet bundle through rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a moving portion moving the second rotary member to a separation position after the rotary member pair conveys the sheet, and moving the second rotary member to a nipping position before the rotary member pair conveys the sheet bundle; and a control portion controlling to rotate the rotary member pair in the second direction after the second rotary member is moved to the separation position and before the second rotary member is moved to the nipping position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Iwata, Naoto Tokuma
  • Patent number: 9010744
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a projection forming unit configured to form a projection on a sheet. The projection is formed in the vicinity of a binding portion of a sheet bundle. When a succeeding sheet bundle is discharged on the sheet bundle in which the projection has been formed on a top surface thereof, the succeeding sheet bundle is stacked by moving on the already stacked sheet bundle without being caught by the binding portion of the already stacked sheet bundle as an end of the succeeding sheet bundle is guided by the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Tokuma, Rikiya Takemasa, Hideki Kushida
  • Patent number: 8851468
    Abstract: A finisher includes: a bundle discharge roller pair; a sheet stacking portion which has a lower stacking tray, an abutment member on which a sheet is abuttable, and a sheet stacking height detecting sensor detecting a height of the sheets on the abutment member side, the sheet stacking portion configured to stack the sheet while lowering the lower stacking tray in accordance with a detection result; tray paddles coming into contact with the discharged sheet in a direction from a top of the sheet, to bring the sheet into abutment on the abutment member; a stacking amount detecting portion detecting a stacking amount of the stacked sheet, and a finisher control portion performing control of reducing a relative distance between the tray paddles and the sheet stacked on the lower stacking tray at the time of transporting of the sheet along with increase in the stacking amount of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoto Tokuma
  • Patent number: 8794617
    Abstract: A finisher is provided with a transport paddle and a control portion. The transport paddle freely moves to a first position where the transport paddle is on standby while protruding above a lower stack tray, a second position where the transport paddle sandwiches the sheet in between and, at the same time, is transported to abut the sheet against the abutment portion, and a third position where the transport paddle retracts in a finisher body 400. The control portion makes the transport paddle be on standby at the first position at least at the start of a job, moves the transport paddle between the first position and the second position for each discharge of the sheet by the bundle discharge roller pair, and moves the transport paddle to the third position after termination of the alignment processing for a last sheet of the job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoto Tokuma
  • Patent number: 8752837
    Abstract: A sheet storage device is equipped with sheet storage portions which are provided in an upper portion of a copying machine body and receive sheets, conveyed in sequence from the copying machine body, from downward and store the sheets in such a state that the sheets stand. The sheet storage portions are relatively rotatably supported in sequence and parallel. Each sheet storage portion receiving the sheet from the copying machine body is rotated to be held in the rotational position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Iwata, Daisaku Kamiya, Hideki Kushida, Naoto Tokuma, Toshiki Momoka
  • Publication number: 20140015188
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a projection forming unit configured to form a projection on a sheet. The projection is formed in the vicinity of a binding portion of a sheet bundle. When a succeeding sheet bundle is discharged on the sheet bundle in which the projection has been formed on a top surface thereof, the succeeding sheet bundle is stacked by moving on the already stacked sheet bundle without being caught by the binding portion of the already stacked sheet bundle as an end of the succeeding sheet bundle is guided by the projection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Inventors: Naoto Tokuma, Rikiya Takemasa, Hideki Kushida
  • Patent number: 8622386
    Abstract: A sheet storage apparatus having a sheet conveying portion and a sheet storage portion to receive the sheet as conveyed upward from below by the sheet conveying portion and to store the sheet in a vertical direction. The sheet storage portion includes a guide portion, first and second holding members. The first holding member forms a first nipping portion between the first holding member and the guide surface. The first holding member permits the sheet to be conveyed upward to pass through the first nipping portion, and holds the sheet by restricting the sheet from moving downward at the first nipping portion. The second holding member forms a second nipping portion between the second holding member and the guide surface. The second holding member permits the sheet to be conveyed upward to pass through the second nipping portion, and holds the sheet at the second nipping portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiki Momoka, Daisaku Kamiya, Hideki Kushida, Naoto Tokuma, Toshiyuki Iwata
  • Patent number: 8613442
    Abstract: A conveying roller conveys a sheet. A sheet holding portion receives a sheet from below and holds the received sheet with keeping its forward end upward and its rear end downward. The sheet holding portion has: a storing guide provided in a vertical state and having a guide surface configured to guide the received sheet upward; a conveying guide provided to face the guide surface and having a curved surface portion whose distance from the guide surface increases in the upward direction; and a holding member provided between the guide surface and the curved surface portion and configured to roll on the curved surface portion toward the guide surface to nip the received sheet with the guide surface. An inclination angle of the curved surface portion with respect to the guide surface decreases with distance from the guide surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yohei Gamo, Naoto Tokuma, Toshiyuki Iwata
  • Publication number: 20130285314
    Abstract: The invention provides a sheet stacking apparatus including a stacking tray whose stacking surface is inclined, a sheet presence/absence detecting sensor that detects presence and absence of a sheet on the stacking surface, an abutting member to which an end of the sheet on the stacking surface abuts, an alignment mechanism that aligns the sheet on the stacking surface widthwise by a pair of aligning members, and a control portion that controls the aligning mechanism. Determining presence of the sheet on the stacking tray from a detected result of the sheet presence/absence detecting sensor, the control portion aligns the sheet by setting a distance between aligning faces of the pair of aligning members as a first distance, and determining absence of the sheet, the control portion sets the distance between the aligning faces of the pair of aligning members as a second distance which is wider than the first distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Naoto Tokuma
  • Publication number: 20130285312
    Abstract: In a finisher in which a sheet discharged by a pair of discharge rollers is stacked on a stack tray moveably provided in a sheet stack direction so that the position of a top surface of the sheet is constant and the sheet stacked on the stack tray is aligned by a pair of aligning members moveably provided in a width direction perpendicular to a discharge direction of the sheet, as a stack amount of the sheets stacked on the stack tray, which amount is detected by a stack amount detecting portion, is increased, the pair of aligning members upon the alignment are controlled to approach the top sheet stacked on the stack tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto Tokuma, Akito Sekigawa
  • Publication number: 20130285320
    Abstract: A finisher includes: a bundle discharge roller pair; a sheet stacking portion which has a lower stacking tray, an abutment member on which a sheet is abuttable, and a sheet stacking height detecting sensor detecting a height of the sheets on the abutment member side, the sheet stacking portion configured to stack the sheet while lowering the lower stacking tray in accordance with a detection result; tray paddles coming into contact with the discharged sheet in a direction from a top of the sheet, to bring the sheet into abutment on the abutment member; a stacking amount detecting portion detecting a stacking amount of the stacked sheet, and a finisher control portion performing control of reducing a relative distance between the tray paddles and the sheet stacked on the lower stacking tray at the time of transporting of the sheet along with increase in the stacking amount of the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Naoto Tokuma
  • Patent number: 8430389
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a staple processing portion and a sheet stacking portion on which a sheet is stacked and abutted. The sheet processing apparatus also includes a fold processing portion, a conveyance guide member, an end part processing portion to perform an end part process to the folded end part, and a controlling portion. After a stapling process is performed, the fold processing portion folds the sheet bundle in two to create a folded sheet bundle having a folded end part between a first surface and a second surface. The conveyance guide member guides the folded sheet bundle with the folded end part as a leading end while the first surface slides against the conveyance guide member. The controlling portion controls the positioning member such that the stapling position is moved, by a predetermined distance, to an area on the sheet bundle that will become the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Tokuma, Yusuke Obuchi, Yuri Urano
  • Publication number: 20130026695
    Abstract: A finisher is provided with a transport paddle and a control portion. The transport paddle freely moves to a first position where the transport paddle is on standby while protruding above a lower stack tray, a second position where the transport paddle sandwiches the sheet in between and, at the same time, is transported to abut the sheet against the abutment portion, and a third position where the transport paddle retracts in a finisher body 400. The control portion makes the transport paddle be on standby at the first position at least at the start of a job, moves the transport paddle between the first position and the second position for each discharge of the sheet by the bundle discharge roller pair, and moves the transport paddle to the third position after termination of the alignment processing for a last sheet of the job.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Naoto Tokuma
  • Publication number: 20120319346
    Abstract: This invention provides a sheet storage device, which can enhance sheet taking-out property in taking out of a sheet from a sorting device and sheet visibility. A sheet storage device 300 is equipped with sheet storage portions 330a to 330e which are provided in an upper portion of a copying machine body 130 and receive sheets P, conveyed in sequence from the copying machine body 130, from downward and store the sheets P in such a state that the sheets P stand. The sheet storage portions 330a to 330e are relatively rotatably supported in sequence and parallel. Each sheet storage portion receiving the sheet from the copying machine body 130 is rotated to be held in the rotational position. According to this constitution, the sheet taking-out property in taking out of the sheet from the sheet storage portions 330a to 330e and the sheet visibility are enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Iwata, Daisaku Kamiya, Hideki Kushida, Naoto Tokuma, Toshiki Momoka
  • Publication number: 20120313313
    Abstract: A sheet storage apparatus having a sheet conveying portion and a sheet storage portion to receive the sheet as conveyed upward from below by the sheet conveying portion and to store the sheet in a vertical direction. The sheet storage portion includes a guide portion, first and second holding members. The first holding member forms a first nipping portion between the first holding member and the guide surface. The first holding member permits the sheet to be conveyed upward to pass through the first nipping portion, and holds the sheet by restricting the sheet from moving downward at the first nipping portion. The second holding member forms a second nipping portion between the second holding member and the guide surface. The second holding member permits the sheet to be conveyed upward to pass through the second nipping portion, and holds the sheet at the second nipping portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiki Momoka, Daisaku Kamiya, Hideki Kushida, Naoto Tokuma, Toshiyuki Iwata