Patents by Inventor Osamu Takagi

Osamu Takagi 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: 20090175646
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus of an image forming apparatus of the present invention, in arrival timing of a temperature falling area of a heat roller passing a nip at opposite position ? of an induction heating coil from temperature detection position ? by an infrared temperature sensor around the heat roller, according to detection results by the infrared temperature sensor, controls an output value of the induction heating coil under control of an inverter circuit, heats and returns the heat roller in real time to a fixable temperature, and realizes energy conversation. At the time of arrival at the nip, the heat controller is always set to a fixed fixable temperature, thus in a fixed image, a high image quality free of ripple marks can be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Inventors: Satoshi KINOUCHI, Osamu TAKAGI, Yoshinori TSUEDA, Toshihiro SONE
  • Patent number: 7558499
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus of the present invention includes a heating roller 2 that is a cylindrical member having a center axis, a pressurizing roller 3 that exerts pressure on the heating roller 2, and a temperature detecting element 6 that detects the temperature of the heating roller 2. The outer peripheral surface of the heating roller 2 is induction heated on the basis of the temperature information detected by the temperature detecting element 6. The fixing apparatus thus utilizes induction heating. The present invention is characterized in that the temperature detecting element 6 is placed in an area located vertically below the center axis of the heating member 2 and vertically below the outer peripheral surface of the heating member. The temperature detecting element 6 is thus provided at a position where it is unlikely to suffer thermal convection from the heating roller 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Tsueda, Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20090154970
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus picks up each one of sheets stacked in a tray, allows a detecting sensor to detect whether a mark indicating a reusable sheet is assigned to the picked-up sheet, and cumulates the sheet in which the mark is not detected by the detecting sensor in a cumulative unit. The image forming apparatus erases a color of an image forming material by heating the sheet of which the mark is detected by the detecting sensor and receives the sheet of which the image forming material is erased in a sheet cassette. The image forming apparatus forms an image with the image forming material erasable by applying heat to the sheet received in the sheet cassette.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru Yoshida, Hiroshi Hashidume, Makoto Tani, Osamu Takagi, Takahisa Hirano, Jun Ishii, Kazuhiro Ogura
  • Patent number: 7546051
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention includes a heating roller for providing heat to a developer holding medium holding a developer image, a pressurizing roller which comes in contact with the heating roller, a heater having heating members for heating the heating roller, a non-contact temperature detector which includes a non-contact temperature detection element for detecting a first temperature of the heating roller in an area between a position heated by the heater and a position to contact the pressurizing roller with heating the heater, from detection positions in the longitudinal direction of the heating roller, and a detection range adjustment member which is placed between the non-contact temperature detection element and the heating roller, and has openings to set a detection range wider for far detection positions, compared with a range for near detection positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sone, Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda
  • Patent number: 7529515
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a heating roller 2 fixed at a predetermined position, a pressurizing roller 3 press-fitted to the heating roller 2 by a pressurizing mechanism 4 to be movable, and a hardness change detecting mechanism 310 which becomes electrically conductive when the pressurizing roller 3 moves due to thermal expansion of the heating roller 2, and which detects a hardness change of the heating roller 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Tsueda, Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Toshihiro Sone
  • Patent number: 7522854
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus of an image forming apparatus of the present invention, in arrival timing of a temperature falling area of a heat roller passing a nip at opposite position ? of an induction heating coil from temperature detection position ? by an infrared temperature sensor around the heat roller, according to detection results by the infrared temperature sensor, controls an output value of the induction heating coil under control of an inverter circuit, heats and returns the heat roller in real time to a fixable temperature, and realizes energy conversation. At the time of arrival at the nip, the heat controller is always set to a fixed fixable temperature, thus in a fixed image, a high image quality free of ripple marks can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Toshihiro Sone
  • Patent number: 7517048
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a first carriage, a second carriage, and a carriage-moving mechanism. The first carriage is reciprocally movable in parallel with an ink ejection face of an ink-jet head. The second carriage is separate from the first carriage and reciprocally movable in the same direction as a movement direction of the first carriage. The carriage-moving mechanism selectively moves the first carriage and the second carriage. The first carriage is mounted with at least one of a wiper that wipes off ink adhering to the ink ejection face, a sheet that receives ink ejected from the ink-jet head, a cap that seals the ink ejection face, and a shutter that is disposed to confront and protect the ink ejection face. The second carriage is mounted with at least one of the wiper, the sheet, the carriage, and the shutter except the one(s) mounted on the first carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Takagi
  • Patent number: 7510266
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance unit, a recording head and a cap. The conveyance unit conveys a recording medium. The recording head includes a nozzle formation surface formed with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink toward the recording medium being conveyed by the conveyance unit. The cap is able to abut against the nozzle formation surface of the recording head to form a closed space in which the nozzle formation surface is sealed off. The cap includes a base portion, a lip portion, an opening and a flexible film. The base portion faces the nozzle formation surface. The lip portion is upright from the base portion toward the nozzle formation surface to be able to abut against the nozzle formation surface. The opening passes through the base portion. The flexible film covers the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Takagi
  • Patent number: 7500733
    Abstract: In order to make maintenance of an ink jet printer less time-consuming, when ink is to be purged from ink jet heads 1, a unit conveying mechanism 30 moves a feeding plane 11a of a feeding sheet 11 to a retreated position that is inclined with respect to ink jet faces 4a of the ink jet heads 1. An ink receiving sheet 21 is then moved to an ink receiving position that is between the ink jet faces 4a and the feeding plane 11a and that extends along this feeding plane 11a. Ink that is jetted onto the ink receiving sheet 21 from the ink jet faces 4a of the ink jet heads 1 runs down the ink receiving sheet 21, and is collected in an ink tank 72.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Takagi, Susumu Kuzuya
  • Patent number: 7488050
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance unit, nozzles, a recording unit, a cap unit, a first moving mechanism, a first ink receiving unit and a second moving mechanism. The first moving mechanism reciprocates the cap unit between a capping position and a non-capping position apart. The first ink receiving unit includes an ink receiving region larger than a region that all the nozzles occupy. The second moving mechanism reciprocates the first ink receiving unit between an ink receiving position and an ink non-receiving position. When the first ink receiving unit is located at the ink non-receiving position, at least a part of the first ink receiving unit overlaps the cap unit located at the non-capping position. When the cap unit is located at the capping position, the first ink receiving unit is located at the ink receiving position and overlaps the entire cap unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Takagi
  • Patent number: 7478897
    Abstract: An ink jet printer is provided with an ink jet head, a wiper and a transferring device. The ink jet head has an ink discharging plane. A plurality of ink openings for discharging ink toward a print medium and a liquid opening for discharging liquid are formed on the ink discharging plane. The ink openings are closer to one end of the ink discharging plane than the liquid opening is. The liquid opening is closer to the other end of the ink discharging plane than the ink openings are. The wiper wipes the ink discharging plane of the ink jet head. The transferring device transfers the ink jet head and/or the wiper such that the wiper wipes the ink discharging plane from a beginning position located at the other end side of the ink discharging plane to a finishing position located at the one end side of the ink discharging plane. The liquid discharged from the liquid opening adheres to the wiper when the wiper wipes an area where the liquid opening is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Takagi
  • Publication number: 20080302785
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a mold (holding member) formed by injection molding to hold a coil so that the coil maintains a predetermined positional relation with respect to a heating roller, and capable of holding a temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the heating roller and a thermostat which detects an abnormal temperature of the heating roller in predetermined positions facing the heating roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2008
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20080285996
    Abstract: A fixing device includes a heat roller having a degaussing alloy material, an induction heating member for exciting the heat roller, an inverter circuit for giving power at a predetermined frequency to the induction heating member, and a control unit, and when driving at a first drive frequency and fixing small size sheets by continuous passing, a local temperature rise occurs at an end part of the heat roller, and the end part approaches the Curie temperature, and when impedance of the inverter circuit reduces and an excessive current flows in the circuit, the fixing device drives at a higher second drive frequency, thereby increases a resistance of the heat roller by an epidermal effect of magnetic flux, increases an apparent resistance of the inverter circuit, makes it possible to use a flowing current within a normal range, heating a central part of the heat roller, and continues the fixing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Kinouchi, Osamu Takagi, Yoshinori Tueda, Toshihiro Sone, Koichiro Saito
  • Patent number: 7448737
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus is arranged in which the loading and unloading of ink cartridges as well as the supply and removal of a recording medium is carried out at the upstream side in a conveying direction. The ink tubes for connecting ink dispensing outlets and ink dispensing inlets are positioned so that they are substantially uniform in the length thus to have no difference in the resistance to flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Takagi
  • Publication number: 20080260436
    Abstract: An induction heating device of the invention is made to have a two-layer structure in which at an end of a magnetic core of an induction current generating coil, a litz wire of outside three turns is stacked on a litz wire of inside three turns. The width of a joint portion between plural induction current generating coils is made narrow, and a mutual induction current generated at the joint portion is reduced. Further, the whole length of the litz wire is shortened without changing the length of the magnetic core of the inductor current generating coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20080260407
    Abstract: A fixing device of this invention enables variable control of power to be supplied to a heat roller side or a press roller side in accordance with the temperature of the heat roller and the press roller while each mode is carried out. A secondary battery is used in addition to a commercial power source, thus enabling supply of power to the heat roller side or the press roller side. The secondary battery is used when necessary, thus increasing the power supply. In a copy mode, the temperature of the heat roller and the press roller is controlled in detail. In a non-copy state, the power supply to the fixing device is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20080260415
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a heating roller which provides heat to a developer-holding medium holding a developer image, a pressurizing roller which is in contact with the heating roller, a heating device having a plurality of heating members which heat the heating roller, a first thermoelectric converting section having a plurality of thermoelectric converting elements, each of which has a heat-absorbing surface and a cooling surface and generates electromotive force by difference in temperature between the heat-absorbing surface and the cooling surface, and formed along a curved surface of the heating roller, in which the heat-absorbing surface is disposed with a predetermined space from an outer circumferential surface of the heating roller, an auxiliary power supply charged with electric power generated by the first thermoelectric converting section, and a switching section which switches the apparatus between a first state in which electric power is supplied from utility power to the heating members and
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sone, Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda
  • Publication number: 20080260399
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a non-contact temperature detecting element 81 allocated in non-contact with a heat roller, the sensing element detecting a temperature of the heat roller. The non-contact temperature sensing section 81 includes a thermopile P which detects a target temperature Pt of a heat roller 2, a temperature element CPU 100 which estimates an ambient temperature at the periphery of the thermopile P and computes an estimated ambient temperature SQt, and a thermister Q which detects an ambient temperature Qt at the periphery of the thermopile and outputs the ambient temperature Qt at an output voltage of a predetermined rate with respect to a total output voltage value corresponding to the estimated ambient temperature SQt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sone, Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda
  • Publication number: 20080260408
    Abstract: A fixing device of this invention enables variable control of power to be supplied to a heat roller side or a press roller side in accordance with the temperature of the heat roller and the press roller while each mode is carried out. The heating range of a first induction heating coil on the heat roller side and the heating range of a first halogen lamp heater on the press roller side are set differently. In a copy mode, the temperature of the heat roller and the press roller is controlled in detail, and also controlled in accordance with the size of a sheet paper. In a copy standby mode, only the power required for maintaining a set temperature is supplied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20080260406
    Abstract: A fixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a heating roller for providing heat to a developer holding medium holding a developer image, a pressurizing roller which comes in contact with the heating roller, a heater having heating members for heating the heating roller, a non-contact temperature detector which includes a non-contact temperature detection element for detecting a first temperature of the heating roller in an area between a position heated by the heater and a position to contact the pressurizing roller with heating the heater, from detection positions in the longitudinal direction of the heating roller, and a detection range adjustment member which is placed between the non-contact temperature detection element and the heating roller, and has openings to set a detection range wider for far detection positions, compared with a range for near detection positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sone, Osamu Takagi, Satoshi Kinouchi, Yoshinori Tsueda