Patents by Inventor Sumitoshi Sootome

Sumitoshi Sootome 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: 8831446
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable belt member, a plurality of image forming members opposing the belt in an image forming region, a first detecting member configured to detect a position of the belt member with respect to a widthwise direction, a second detecting member configured to detect a moving direction, an adjusting roller configured to adjust the moving direction in the image forming region, the adjusting roller configured to adjust the moving direction in the image forming region, and a control portion configured to control a position of the adjusting roller on the basis of outputs of the first detecting member and the second detecting member without changing a position of the belt member in the image forming region in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the belt member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadashi Matsumoto, Sumitoshi Sootome, Yasumi Yoshida, Shinji Yamamoto, Takashi Hiratsuka, Toshihiro Fukasaka
  • Patent number: 8246161
    Abstract: A conveying apparatus includes a conveyance carrier configured to attract and convey a recording medium, a voltage applying unit configured to apply a voltage to the conveyance carrier to generate electrostatic attraction force on a surface of the conveyance carrier, a static charge eliminating unit configured to eliminate charges on a surface of the recording medium which is electrostatically attracted to the conveyance carrier, and the surface of the conveyance carrier outside an area where the recording medium is attracted, and a reverse voltage applying unit configured to apply a voltage which has a polarity reverse to that of the voltage applied by the voltage applying unit, to the conveyance carrier at a downstream side of the static charge eliminating unit to weaken the electrostatic attraction force of the conveyance carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Sumitoshi Sootome
  • Publication number: 20110200343
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable belt; an image forming station for forming an image on a belt or on a recording material carried on a belt in a region opposing the belt; a first detector, provided in one of upstream and downstream sides of the region with respect to a rotational direction of the belt, for detecting a position of the belt with respect to a widthwise direction; a second detector, provided in the other of upstream and downstream sides of the region with respect to a rotational direction of the belt, for detecting a moving direction in the region; a steering roller, disposed in the one side with respect to the rotational direction, for correcting a position of the belt with respect to the widthwise direction by inclining; a first controller for controlling an inclination of the steering roller on the basis of an output of the first detector; an adjusting roller, provided in the other of the sides with respect to the rotational direction, for adjusting the moving direction in the r
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tadashi Matsumoto, Sumitoshi Sootome, Yasumi Yoshida, Shinji Yamamoto, Takashi Hiratsuka, Toshihiro Fukasaka
  • Publication number: 20100128097
    Abstract: A conveying apparatus includes a conveyance carrier configured to attract and convey a recording medium, a voltage applying unit configured to apply a voltage to the conveyance carrier to generate electrostatic attraction force on a surface of the conveyance carrier, a static charge eliminating unit configured to eliminate charges on a surface of the recording medium which is electrostatically attracted to the conveyance carrier, and the surface of the conveyance carrier outside an area where the recording medium is attracted, and a reverse voltage applying unit configured to apply a voltage which has a polarity reverse to that of the voltage applied by the voltage applying unit, to the conveyance carrier at a downstream side of the static charge eliminating unit to weaken the electrostatic attraction force of the conveyance carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Sumitoshi Sootome
  • Patent number: 7703912
    Abstract: A feeding device includes a conveying member for conveying a recording material; and an electrode, disposed in the conveying member, for generating an electrostatic attraction force for electrostatic attraction of the recording material on the conveying member and for controlling a temperature of a surface layer of the conveying member to provide a substantially constant resistance value of the surface layer of the conveying member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumitoshi Sootome, Tadashi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 7396123
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit for recoding on a recording medium by ejecting ink, a conveyor belt for transporting the medium, first and second electrode groups including a plurality of electrodes inside the conveyor belt, a charging unit for charging the first and second electrode groups to provide a potential difference between the first and second electrode groups in order to generate an electrostatic force for attracting the medium to the conveyor belt, a duplex transport unit for turning over the medium transported by the conveyor belt from a first surface upward to a second surface upward and delivering the medium to the conveyor belt with the second surface upward, and a control unit for controlling the charging unit so that a difference between the potentials of the first and second electrode groups during transportation of the medium with the second surface upward is different from that during transportation of the medium with the first surface upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumitoshi Sootome, Tadashi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20050270355
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording unit for recoding on a recording medium by ejecting ink, a conveyor belt for transporting the medium, first and second electrode groups including a plurality of electrodes inside the conveyor belt, a charging unit for charging the first and second electrode groups to provide a potential difference between the first and second electrode groups in order to generate an electrostatic force for attracting the medium to the conveyor belt, a duplex transport unit for turning over the medium transported by the conveyor belt from a first surface upward to a second surface upward and delivering the medium to the conveyor belt with the second surface upward, and a control unit for controlling the charging unit so that a difference between the potentials of the first and second electrode groups during transportation of the medium with the second surface upward is different from that during transportation of the medium with the first surface upward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Publication date: December 8, 2005
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumitoshi Sootome, Tadashi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20050195264
    Abstract: A feeding device includes a conveying member for conveying a recording material; and an electrode, disposed in the conveying member, for generating an electrostatic attraction force for electrostatic attraction of the recording material on the conveying member and for controlling a temperature of a surface layer of the conveying member to provide a substantially constant resistance value of the surface layer of the conveying member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2005
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumitoshi Sootome, Tadashi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 5722654
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus having a sheet stacking device for stacking and supporting sheets, a sheet supply roller having different radial dimensions along a periphery thereof to feed out the sheets from the sheet stacking device, and a separation unit having a feed rotary member rotated in a sheet feeding direction and a reverse rotary member rotated in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction to separate the sheets fed out by the sheet supply roller one by one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumitoshi Sootome, Kazuyuki Morinaga, Hisayuki Tomura
  • Patent number: 5571265
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet supplying apparatus having a sheet stacking device for stacking and supporting sheets, a sheet supply roller having different radial dimensions along a periphery thereof to feed out the sheets from the sheet stacking device, and a separation unit having a feed rotary member rotated in a sheet feeding direction and a reverse rotary member rotated in a direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction to separate the sheets fed out by the sheet supply roller one by one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadashi Yagi, Yutaka Kikuchi, Sumitoshi Sootome, Kazuyuki Morinaga, Hisayuki Tomura
  • Patent number: 5443252
    Abstract: A sheet supplying apparatus has a sheet container for stacking and supporting sheets, a support for supporting the sheet container, and a sheet supplying device for feeding out the sheet contained in the sheet container supported by the support by applying a feeding force to the sheet. The support can support one of a plurality of kinds of sheet containers having different maximum sheet stacking abilities, the sheet containers including a shiftable sheet support place on which the sheets are stacked and a pressurizing device capable of biasing the sheet support plate toward the sheet supplying device to urge the sheets stacked on the sheet support plate against the sheet supplying device, and the pressurizing device biasing the sheet support plate toward the sheet supplying device in response to an operation for placing the sheet container on the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1995
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Morinaga, Sumitoshi Sootome, Hisayuki Tomura
  • Patent number: 5398108
    Abstract: A sheet supplying apparatus having sheet container for stacking and supporting sheets, and sheet supplying device for feeding out the sheet contained in the sheet container by applying a feeding force to the sheet. Sheet container includes a shiftable intermediate plate on which the sheets are stacked and a plurality of pressurizing members for biasing the intermediate plate toward the sheet supplying device to urge the sheets stacked on the intermediate plate against the sheet supplying device, and each of the pressurizing members being selected in response to the used amount of the sheets stacked on the intermediate plate to apply a biasing force to the intermediate plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Morinaga, Sumitoshi Sootome, Hisayuki Tomura
  • Patent number: 4875075
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image of an original using an optical image of the original has: a first assembly; a second assembly cooperable with the first assembly the second assembly being movable relative to the first assembly; between a closed position wherein the apparatus is operable and an open position wherein the apparatus is opened; a reciprocable original supporting member for supporting an original; an optical system, in the second assembly, for forming the image of the original supported on the original supporting member; a second guiding member, on the second assembly, for guiding and positioning the original supporting member adjacent one of the sides of the original support member, wherein the original supporting member is movable to be disengaged from the second guiding member, the second guiding member being contactable with the original supporting member to correctly position the original supporting member with respect to the second assembly when it is engaged with the original
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1989
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumitoshi Sootome, Morikazu Mizutani, Isao Ikemoto, Shinji Kanemitsu, Hajime Kitajima, Shigeyoshi Onoda
  • Patent number: 4717139
    Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus for sequentially feeding sheet material from a sheet supporting member which supports a stack of sheet material. The feeding apparatus employs a mechanism to cause a feeding roller to engage or disengage the stack. A driving source is provided for transmitting a driving force to the feeding roller and the mechanism for causing the feeding roller to engage or disengage the stack. First and second transmitting mechanisms are provided for transmitting the driving force to the feeding roller and the mechanism for causing engagement or disengagement of the feeding roller and stack respectively. A stop device movable between a position to allow transmission of the driving force to the first and second transmitting mechanisms and a position where the transmitting mechanisms are prevented from transmitting the driving force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumitoshi Sootome, Mototada Toriumi, Sohei Tanaka, Shinichi Sasaki