Patents by Inventor Shinobu Konno

Shinobu Konno 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: 20200201235
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image former, a superposing unit, a fixing unit, and a hardware processor. The image former forms a toner image on a recording medium. The superposing unit superposes (i) a toner-image-side surface of the recording medium and (ii) a coating-layer-side surface of a foil sheet in which a coating layer is formed on a base film. The fixing unit heats and pressurizes the superposed recording medium and foil sheet, thereby transferring the coating layer to a portion where the toner image has been formed on the recording medium. The hardware processor controls the superposing unit such that an existing region of the coating layer and the toner image coincide with one another based on size information indicating a size of the foil sheet, coating layer information indicating the existing region of the coating layer, and toner image information indicating a position of the toner image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventor: Shinobu KONNO
  • Patent number: 10087025
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus performs skew correction by bringing a leading end of a conveyed sheet in contact with a registration roller pair being in a stopped state and by forming a first loop with a loop roller pair, and thereafter, refeeds the sheet to an image former by adjusting timing. In a case of feeding a sheet with a length equal to or longer than a prescribed length, after having formed the first loop, the image forming apparatus forms a second loop in a loop accommodator that is disposed on an upstream side than the loop roller pair and accommodates a formed loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Shinobu Konno, Yuki Yamauchi
  • Publication number: 20180052416
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus performs skew correction by bringing a leading end of a conveyed sheet in contact with a registration roller pair being in a stopped state and by forming a first loop with a loop roller pair, and thereafter, refeeds the sheet to an image former by adjusting timing. In a case of feeding a sheet with a length equal to or longer than a prescribed length, after having formed the first loop, the image forming apparatus forms a second loop in a loop accommodator that is disposed on an upstream side than the loop roller pair and accommodates a formed loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC
    Inventors: Shinobu KONNO, Yuki YAMAUCHI
  • Publication number: 20120237257
    Abstract: A color image forming apparatus includes: a main body of the apparatus that forms a color image; and an intermediate transfer unit for transferring the color image formed by the main body of the apparatus, wherein the intermediate transfer unit is configured to be removed from and to be inserted into the main body of the apparatus, and wherein the intermediate transfer unit is configured to perform a door-like opening and closing movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Toshiaki TOMINO, Motoji KAWAMOTO, Shinobu KONNO
  • Patent number: 7403732
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photoreceptor; a charger that electrically charges the photoreceptor; an exposing unit having an LED printing head that forms a latent image on the photoreceptor; a developing unit that develops a toner image corresponding to the latent image on the photoreceptor; a blower unit that sends air to a space between the photoreceptor and the LED printing head; a first shielding member provided on the charger, which intercepts the air coming from the blower unit to enter inside the charger; and a second shielding member provided on the developing unit, which intercepts the air coming from the blower unit to enter inside the developing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Akihiko Shimazu, Ritsuo Fujii, Shinobu Konno
  • Publication number: 20070110468
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photoreceptor; a charger that electrically charges the photoreceptor; an exposing unit having an LED printing head that forms a latent image on the photoreceptor; a developing unit that develops a toner image corresponding to the latent image on the photoreceptor; a blower unit that sends air to a space between the photoreceptor and the LED printing head; a first shielding member provided on the charger, which intercepts the air coming from the blower unit to enter inside the charger; and a second shielding member provided on the developing unit, which intercepts the air coming from the blower unit to enter inside the developing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2006
    Publication date: May 17, 2007
    Inventors: Akihiko Shimazu, Ritsuo Fujii, Shinobu Konno
  • Patent number: 5358235
    Abstract: A sheet feeder for stopping a conveyance of a sheet at a registration location. The sheet feeder includes: registration rollers, positioned at a registration location, for stopping a conveyance of a sheet; buckling rollers for conveying the sheet toward the registration rollers, and for conveying the sheet so that said sheet has a pressure contact with the pair of buckling rollers; a photosensor for detecting a leading edge of the sheet at a predetermined location, and for generating an edge detection signal; a driver for releasing the pressure contact of the sheet with the pair of buckling rollers; and a controller for controlling the driver to release said sheet based on the edge detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1994
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Shinobu Konno, Masaru Ushio