Patents by Inventor Shoichiro Yoshiura

Shoichiro Yoshiura 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: 6937833
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus contains a first and second unit. The first unit, which is a self-contained first module, contains a photo-sensitive body and structure for removing residue toner from the photo sensitive body. The second unit, which is a self-contained developer module, provides toner to the first unit and receives the residue toner from the first unit. The residue toner in the second unit is received in a self contained container and does not mix with fresh toner. The modules are detachably mounted in the apparatus. The second module cannot be mounted in the apparatus until the first module is mounted. The two units have different lives of interchange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ituro Katoh, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Publication number: 20030068171
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus having an image carrier; first unit comprising at least a cleaning system held on one supporter; and a second unit comprising a developing system to develop electrostatic latent images formed on the image carrier; the said first and second unit which can be mounted to or demounted from the image formation apparatus, a feeding unit to carry the toner used to remove toner from the said image carrier being provided on the said first unit, and a recovery container to recover the used toner carried by the said feeder provided on the said second unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2002
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ituro Katoh, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 5697008
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus contains a first and second unit. The first unit, which is a self-contained first module, contains a photo-sensitive body and structure for removing residue toner from the photo sensitive body. The second unit, which is a self-contained developer module, provides toner to the first unit and receives the residue toner from the first unit. The modules are detachably mounted in the apparatus. The second module cannot be mounted in the apparatus until the first module is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ituro Katoh, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 5541715
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus having an image carrier; a first removable unit including at least a cleaning system and a toner recovery feeding device; and a second removable unit including a developing system for developing an electrostatic latent image and a toner recovery collecting device for collecting the toner recovered by the first unit. A guide member on the first unit interacts with an indexing member on the second unit, in response to insertion of the second unit, into the image formation apparatus, to interconnect the toner collecting device of the second unit with the toner recovery feeding device of the first unit and to position the second unit with respect to the image carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ituro Katoh, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 5343304
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus provided with a post-processing device for performing a post-processing on an image-formed sheet includes a unit for reading an image on an original and a mark on a mark sheet, a unit for forming an image data read by the reading unit on a sheet of paper by performing a predetermined processing on the read image data, and a unit for controlling a direction of the image data to be formed on the sheet of paper for performing the post-processing done by the post-processing device at a specified place of the image-formed sheet of paper based on the location of the mark on the mark sheet read by the reading unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1994
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Nakai, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 5089850
    Abstract: A copying machine with a charger including a charging wire for charging the surface of a photosensitive drum and a convergent optical system for forming a focused image of an original on the surface of the drum. The copying machine further includes a waste toner unit, a cleaning unit for cleaning the charging wire and optical system which consists of a first cleaning member for grasping therebetween the charging wire stretched in the charger during cleaning, and a second cleaning member kept in contact with the surface of the convergent optical system, wherein the cleaning members are supported as to be movable in a longitudinal direction of the charging wire and the convergent optical system when cleaning the charging wire and the optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1992
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuru Ogura, Takeshi Yoshida, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4885640
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus such as a portable copier has a contact surface with a window at the bottom of its housing for slidably contacting a document to be scanned. A cover attached rotatably or slidably to the housing which can be closed to clean and protect the window is so structured that some of its edges become coplanar with the contact surface to provide additional stability to the apparatus when the cover is opened for a scan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1989
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4849791
    Abstract: A waste toner collecting system in an image forming apparatus which forms on the surface of an image carrier an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an original image, develops the latent image with toner and transferrs the toner image onto a copy material. The waste toner collecting system comprises a cleaning unit for removing residual toner from the image carrier after the toner image has been transferred, a container, independent of the cleaning unit, for storing the removed waste toner, and a transport device for conveying the waste toner removed by the cleaning unit to the container, with an outlet formed in the toner transport device so as to discharge the waste toner, a waste toner inlet formed in the container at a position corresponding to the outlet in the toner transport device, and shutter members provided for the outlet and the inlet, respectively, the shutter members being opened or closed according to as the waste toner container is mounted or dismounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1989
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideaki Hagihara, Takahiro Fukunaga, Kozo Takahashi, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4805001
    Abstract: A magnification converting mechanism for a variable magnification copying apparatus, which includes a magnification converting lever provided on a control panel, a magnification change-over arm associated with functioning of the magnification converting lever, a lens holder slidably fitted on a sliding shaft and engaged with part of the magnification change-over arm so as to be slid over the sliding shaft following displacement of the arm, and a lens assembly held on the lens holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1989
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsushi Hayashi, Shoichiro Yoshiura, Ken-ichi Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 4802439
    Abstract: A pressure device for applying pressure between an upper fixing roller and a lower fixing roller, the pressure applying device being disposed at each end of the lower fixing roller and including a bearing member for supporting a rotary shaft mounted in the lower fixing roller and a biasing spring for biasing the bearing member upwards. The upper and lower fixing rollers are held in pressure contact with each other through depression of the upper fixing roller towards the lower fixing roller, under the influence of the pressure device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1989
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Sugimoto, Masaru Tsuji, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4803512
    Abstract: An image forming cartridge houses a charger unit integrally with respect to a photoreceptor.Charge wire positioning members are provided on the image forming cartridge body at positions corresponding to holes provided in the charger unit aligned with the charge wire in the charger unit. The charge wire positioning members are spaced at a specified distance from the photoreceptor to ensure uniform charging of the photoreceptor by the charge wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1989
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuru Ogura, Takeshi Yoshida, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4796053
    Abstract: A variable magnification apparatus is provided with a magnification converting mechanism and a scan speed change mechanism. In the magnification converting mechanism, the force generated by operating a magnification converting lever is transmitted to the lens holder through a magnification change-over arm and to a speed change selection member through a scan speed change shaft. In the scan speed change mechanism, the number of rotations of an output shaft is changed by a selected rotation transmission member which is actuated by a speed change ratio selection member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1989
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nakamura, Tatsushi Hayashi, Ken-ichi Iwamoto, Kenji Okada, Kouichi Matsumoto, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4782360
    Abstract: A rotary type developing apparatus for use in an image forming arrangement, which is so arranged that, by restricting rotational angle of each of a plurality of developer units (A, B), mixing of developing materials in a receiving pan (27) is prevented, and even if some mixing should take place, mixture of a colored developer material with a non-colored developing material may be advantageously reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken-ichi Iwamoto, Kouichi Matsumoto, Hiroshi Kida, Tatsuya Inoue, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4775781
    Abstract: A counter reset arrangement employed in an image forming apparatus such as a photocopier which is provided with a cartridge removably mounted in a main body of the apparatus and internally accommodating at least a photoreceptor and a cleaning unit integrally, and a resettable counter securely mounted in the main body of the apparatus to detect a remaining service life of the cartridge. The counter reset arrangement includes a reset member movably disposed in the cartridge and having a first protruding portion pressed against at a first position when mounting the cartridge, by a cabinet provided in the apparatus and a second protruding portion formed to press against a reset pin disposed on the counter to reset it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1988
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Fukunaga, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4739369
    Abstract: A copying apparatus equipped with an original document circulation feeding arrangement for feeding to an original document platform. A plurality of original document sheets are stacked on an original document tray and sequentially feed from the original document sheet located at the lowermost position of the stack. The original document sheets are discharged from said original document platform, onto the uppermost position of the original document sheets stacked on said original document tray. The original document circulation feeding arrangement includes an original document size detecting member for detecting the sheet size of the original document during feeding thereof from said original document tray. An original document size memory member subjects the original document sheets stacked on the original document tray to one circulation before starting of copying function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1988
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoichiro Yoshiura, Haruyoshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 4734747
    Abstract: In a copying machine in which a plurality of copies are made on a plurality of sheets of copy paper transferred from one or more paper cassettes, there are provided means for detecting the amount of the copy paper present in paper storing means, designating means for designating the number of paper to be copied, means for judging whether the amount of the copy paper present in said paper storing means exceeds the number of the copy paper designated by said designating means in a period after said paper storing means is set in the copying machine and before beginning of transferring of the copy paper to paper process means and means for alarming that the sheet number of the copy paper is more than the amount of the paper present in said paper storing means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1988
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masakiyo Okuda, Kazuyuki Ohnishi, Shoichiro Yoshiura, Kimihito Yamasaki, Haruyoshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 4696466
    Abstract: An electrophotographic copying machine is equipped with a sorter. The copying machine comprises a sort switch, an interruption sort switch, a bin serial number memory for storing the serial number of the last operated bin in the sort mode, a detection device, and an interruption-sort device. The detection device is operated to detect whether the interruption switch is operated each time the sorting of copied papers by the sorter is completed. If the detection device detects that the interruption switch is actuated, the interruption-sort device sorts the subsequent copied papers into the subsequent bins with their serial numbers following the serial number of the last bin stored in the bin number memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1987
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kimihito Yamasaki, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4682877
    Abstract: An electrophotographic copying apparatus is disclosed, which is provided with an original document size detector for detecting the size of an original document placed on a document platform. Further provided is a selector for selecting various magnification changing elements which calculate and select, on the basis of the size of the original document detected by the original document size detector and, the predetermined size of copy paper or the predetermined magnification ratio, a proper magnification ratio when the size of copy paper is predetermined, or a proper size of copy paper when the magnification ratio is predetermined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1987
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Fujiwara, Yoshihisa Miwa, Shoichiro Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 4669863
    Abstract: A copying apparatus provided with a paper size memory function. By causing the copying apparatus having the magnification converting function to memorize indefinite shapes of paper sizes so as to readily read out the memorized sizes depending on necessity, overlapping of complicated input operations is omitted in the paper size memory function. Working efficiency of the copying apparatus is improved and the copying apparatus is capable of effectively utilizing the magnification converting function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1987
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoichiro Yoshiura, Haruyoshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 4666290
    Abstract: A cartridge loading device for a copying machine including a lamp which illuminates the color display unit of the copying machine; a switch that turns itself on when any of plural kinds of developer baths or toner cartridges are loaded; and a sensor that first receives reflected light from the color display unit illuminated by the lamp and then outputs signals for determining the conditions needed for correctly performing the copying process in response to the reflected light received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1987
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shoichiro Yoshiura