Patents by Inventor Takahisa Nakaue

Takahisa Nakaue 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: 20180017890
    Abstract: A developing device includes a housing, a developing roller, a developer conveyance path, a partition plate, a developer supply port and a developer conveying member. The developer conveying member rotates such that an outer peripheral part thereof moves from top to bottom in a first area between a second shaft portion and the partition plate and moves from bottom to top in a second area between the second shaft portion and the side wall. The developer supply port is obliquely open above the second area. The housing includes a first space formed above the second area of the first conveyance path and a second space formed up to a position higher than the partition plate to communicate with the first conveyance path above the first area of the first conveyance path and communicating with the first space in a horizontal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: Ikuo Makie, Takahisa Nakaue
  • Patent number: 9658570
    Abstract: A developing device of the present disclosure includes a developing roller, a toner supply roller, a regulation blade, a casing, a toner receiving support member, a toner receiving member, a vibration generation unit, and a vibration inhibition member. The toner receiving support member is disposed in the casing so as to be opposed to the developing roller or the toner supply roller in an area between the regulation blade and an image carrier. The toner receiving member has a toner receiving surface that receives toner dropping from the developing roller, and is supported so as to be swingable about an end edge thereof on a toner supply roller side as a fulcrum. In a state where the toner receiving member is not vibrating, the vibration inhibition member is in contact with each of both end portions of the toner receiving surface in a longitudinal direction thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Nagashima, Mitsuhiro Goda, Hidenori Takenaka, Takahisa Nakaue, Yoshimi Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20170023881
    Abstract: A developing device of the present disclosure includes a developing roller, a toner supply roller, a regulation blade, a casing, a toner receiving support member, a toner receiving member, a vibration generation unit, and a vibration inhibition member. The toner receiving support member is disposed in the casing so as to be opposed to the developing roller or the toner supply roller in an area between the regulation blade and an image carrier. The toner receiving member has a toner receiving surface that receives toner dropping from the developing roller, and is supported so as to be swingable about an end edge thereof on a toner supply roller side as a fulcrum. In a state where the toner receiving member is not vibrating, the vibration inhibition member is in contact with each of both end portions of the toner receiving surface in a longitudinal direction thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Teruhiko NAGASHIMA, Mitsuhiro GODA, Hidenori TAKENAKA, Takahisa NAKAUE, Yoshimi SHIMIZU
  • Patent number: 9411267
    Abstract: Provided are a developer storing container, including a movable moving wall, and suppressing a developer from being leaked to a moving direction upstream side of the moving wall, and an image forming apparatus, provided with the same A toner container is provided with a container main body, a moving wall, a toner discharge port, and an inner wall seal. The toner container replenishes toner to a developing apparatus. The moving wall conveys the toner while being moved toward the toner discharge port inside the container main body. The inner wall seal forms an outer peripheral part of the moving wall, and is compressively deformed between an inner peripheral part of the container main body and the moving wall. A cross-sectional area of an internal space of the container main body is set so as to be decreased as a final position of the moving wall is approached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takahisa Nakaue, Daisuke Eto
  • Publication number: 20160062268
    Abstract: Provided are a developer storing container, including a movable moving wall, and suppressing a developer from being leaked to a moving direction upstream side of the moving wall, and an image forming apparatus, provided with the same A toner container is provided with a container main body, a moving wall, a toner discharge port, and an inner wall seal. The toner container replenishes toner to a developing apparatus. The moving wall conveys the toner while being moved toward the toner discharge port inside the container main body. The inner wall seal forms an outer peripheral part of the moving wall, and is compressively deformed between an inner peripheral part of the container main body and the moving wall. A cross-sectional area of an internal space of the container main body is set so as to be decreased as a final position of the moving wall is approached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Takahisa NAKAUE, Daisuke ETO
  • Patent number: 9261815
    Abstract: The present application discloses a container including: a housing including a primary portion for storing developer, and a secondary portion, which projects from the primary portion and is connected to a developing device; a conveying mechanism which conveys the developer in the primary portion to the secondary portion; and a detector which detects a state of the developer. The primary portion includes a facing wall which is situated at a boundary between the primary and secondary portions so that the facing wall faces a flow of the developer moving toward the secondary portion. The developer includes a flowing portion under the conveyance to the secondary portion by the conveying mechanism, and an adhering portion defined by an adhering layer made of developer adhered to the facing wall. The detector detects a decrease of the flowing portion and a decrease of the adhering portion individually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Takahisa Nakaue
  • Patent number: 9063468
    Abstract: A developing device includes: a housing, a refill developer storage part, a developing roller, a developer conveyance path, a developer receiving port, a conveyance member, and a magnetic member. The developing roller is driven into rotation in the developing housing and carries a toner on a circumferential surface thereof. The toner is conveyed inside the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path of the developing housing in a circulating manner. A first stirring screw is disposed on the first conveyance path and conveys the toner in a first direction. Downstream of the toner refill port, a magnet is arranged. The magnetic member forms a magnetic brush from a top panel of the developing housing towards the first stirring screw. A refill toner flowed-in through the toner refill port is so conveyed as to fall below the magnetic brush whereby the refill toner is favorably stirred with a surrounding toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventors: Minoru Wada, Takahisa Nakaue, Tamotsu Shimizu, Ikuo Makie, Kenichi Tamaki, Takefumi Yotsutsuji, Shizuka Okada
  • Patent number: 9031472
    Abstract: A developing device includes a housing containing a developer, a developer carrier, a developer conveying path, a developer conveying member, and a plurality of paddle members. The developer conveying path includes a first conveying path and a second conveying path. The developer conveying member is disposed in the second conveying path and includes a rotating shaft and spiral blades formed around the rotating shaft. The developer conveying member is rotationally driven to convey the developer in the second direction and feeds the developer to the developer carrier. The plurality of paddle members project in a radial direction from the rotating shaft of the developer conveying member at one circumferential position on the rotating shaft. The plurality of paddle members is contiguously arranged in the axial direction of the rotating shaft to connect the spiral blades adjacent to each other in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takefumi Yotsutsuji, Akifumi Yamaguchi, Takahisa Nakaue, Tamotsu Shimizu, Minoru Wada, Shizuka Okada
  • Patent number: 9002240
    Abstract: The present application discloses a developing device including a housing having a connection surface to which the container connects. The connection surface is provided with a feed port for feeding the developer. The developing device includes a shutter mechanism configured to selectively open and close the feed port. The shutter mechanism includes a shutter piece, which moves between a closing position for closing the feed port and an opening position for opening the feed port, and a squeezing mechanism, which protrudes from the shutter piece situated in the closing position to squeeze the developer into the housing through the feed port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Shimizu, Takahisa Nakaue, Teruhiko Nagashima, Takashi Morita
  • Patent number: 8989634
    Abstract: A developer case includes a main body, a first transportation portion, a first transportation member, a supply member, a discharge port, and a second transportation portion. The main body contains developer. The first transportation portion has a first region that receives developer from the main body and a second region that extends from the first region in a first direction. The first transportation member transports developer in the first direction. The supply member supplies developer to the first region. Developer is discharged through the discharge port. The second transportation portion has an inlet port communicating with the second region. Developer that has not been discharged through the discharge port is supplied to the second transportation portion through the inlet port. The second transportation portion transports developer in a second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Kenichi Tamaki, Takahisa Nakaue, Tamotsu Shimizu, Ikuo Makie, Eiji Nimura, Koji Kuramashi, Masaki Hayashi, Yoshihiro Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 8977169
    Abstract: A development device includes a developer introduction port, a developer conveyance portion, a first conveyance ability suppressing portion, and a connecting conveyance portion. The conveyance ability suppressing portion is disposed on a downstream side of the developer introduction port in a first direction in which the developer is conveyed in order to partially suppress a developer conveyance ability of the developer conveyance portion such that a developer accumulation portion is formed in a position opposing the developer introduction port. A first direction downstream side of the first conveyance ability suppressing portion opposes a first connecting passage in a third direction that intersects the first direction. The connecting conveyance portion is joined to the first direction downstream side of the conveyance ability suppressing portion and opposes the first connecting passage in the third direction in order to pass the developer from a first conveyance passage to a second conveyance passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Shimizu, Takahisa Nakaue, Teruhiko Nagashima, Takashi Morita
  • Patent number: 8958724
    Abstract: A developing device of this disclosure has: a housing, a developing roller, a developer conveying path, a partition board, a second communication path, a developer receiving port, a first conveying member, a second conveying member, and a conveyance capability inhibition part. A toner is cyclically conveyed in a first conveying path and a second conveying path. A first stirring screw is disposed in the first conveying path and driven into ration around a first rotation axis for toner conveyance. Formed downstream of the first stirring screw by the conveyance capability inhibition part is a toner accumulation part, and the amount of toner refilled from a toner refill port is adjusted. Where an aperture area of the first communication path is A1 and a circular area formed by an outer circumferential edge of the first stirring screw in section orthogonal to the first rotation axis is A2, relationship 0.5×A2<A1<1.2×A2 is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takahisa Nakaue, Minoru Wada, Shizuka Okada, Takefumi Yotsutsuji, Akifumi Yamaguchi, Tamotsu Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20150043932
    Abstract: The present application discloses a container including: a housing including a primary portion for storing developer, and a secondary portion, which projects from the primary portion and is connected to a developing device; a conveying mechanism which conveys the developer in the primary portion to the secondary portion; and a detector which detects a state of the developer. The primary portion includes a facing wall which is situated at a boundary between the primary and secondary portions so that the facing wall faces a flow of the developer moving toward the secondary portion. The developer includes a flowing portion under the conveyance to the secondary portion by the conveying mechanism, and an adhering portion defined by an adhering layer made of developer adhered to the facing wall. The detector detects a decrease of the flowing portion and a decrease of the adhering portion individually.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Takahisa Nakaue
  • Patent number: 8942600
    Abstract: A developing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a developing roller, a development housing, a first agitating screw, a toner supply inlet, a downstream-side reduction wall, and an upstream-side reduction wall. The developing roller is driven to rotate in the development housing, and carries toner on the circumferential surface thereof. Toner is circulated and conveyed in a first conveying path and a second conveying path in the development housing. The first agitating screw is disposed in the first conveying path, and conveys toner in a first direction. The downstream-side reduction wall is disposed downstream of the toner supply inlet. Further, the upstream-side reduction wall is disposed upstream of the toner supply inlet. An accumulation portion for toner is formed downstream and upstream of the toner supply inlet due to the downstream-side reduction wall and the upstream-side reduction wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takahisa Nakaue, Tamotsu Shimizu, Ikuo Makie, Kenichi Tamaki, Minoru Wada, Takefumi Yotsutsuji, Shizuka Okada
  • Patent number: 8903284
    Abstract: A developer storage container includes a container main body, a tubular portion projecting from the container main body and including a developer discharge opening, and a rotary member extending from the container main body to the tubular portion and having a function of conveying the developer in the container main body. The rotary member includes a first section located in the container main body and a second section located in the tubular portion. A first conveying member for conveying the developer from the tubular portion side toward the container main body side, a second conveying member for conveying the developer in an opposite direction, and a flexible member are mounted on the rotary shaft. The flexible member includes a fixed end portion fixed onto the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft and a free end portion arranged at a side radially outward of the second conveying member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Shimizu, Takahisa Nakaue, Teruhiko Nagashima, Takashi Morita
  • Patent number: 8897676
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing apparatus and a toner container which replenishes the developing apparatus with toner. The developing apparatus includes a first conveyance member having a first rotational shaft and a toner replenishment port. The toner container includes a second conveyance member having a second rotational shaft and a toner discharge port. The developing apparatus and the toner container are assembled in such a manner that the first rotational shaft and the second rotational shaft are in mutually perpendicular directions, and the toner replenishment port and the toner discharge port are mutually overlapping in a vertical direction. The second conveyance member rotates in a direction whereby the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port to the toner replenishment port at a position on an upstream side of the toner replenishment port in terms of the toner conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takahisa Nakaue, Takashi Morita, Tamotsu Shimizu, Teruhiko Nagashima
  • Patent number: 8862029
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing a toner image, a developing device for supplying toner to a circumferential surface of the image bearing member, a toner container for supplying the toner to the developing device, a sheet conveyance path for conveying a sheet, and a housing. The housing accommodates the image bearing member, the developing device and the toner container. The housing has a first surface and a second surface different from the first surface. The toner container is taken out from the interior of the housing to the outside of the housing through the first surface. The developing device is taken out from the interior of the housing to the outside of the housing through the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Tamotsu Shimizu, Takahisa Nakaue, Takashi Morita, Teruhiko Nagashima
  • Publication number: 20140233985
    Abstract: A developing device includes: a housing, a refill developer storage part, a developing roller, a developer conveyance path, a developer receiving port, a conveyance member, and a magnetic member. The developing roller is driven into rotation in the developing housing and carries a toner on a circumferential surface thereof. The toner is conveyed inside the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path of the developing housing in a circulating manner. A first stirring screw is disposed on the first conveyance path and conveys the toner in a first direction. Downstream of the toner refill port, a magnet is arranged. The magnetic member forms a magnetic blush from a top panel of the developing housing towards the first stirring screw. A refill toner flowed-in through the toner refill port is so conveyed as to fall below the magnetic blush whereby the refill toner is favorably stirred with a surrounding toner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Minoru Wada, Takahisa Nakaue, Tamotsu Shimizu, Ikuo Makie, Kenichi Tamaki, Takefumi Yotsutsuji, Shizuka Okada
  • Publication number: 20140205324
    Abstract: A developing device includes a housing containing a developer, a developer carrier, a developer conveying path, a developer conveying member, and a plurality of paddle members. The developer conveying path includes a first conveying path and a second conveying path. The developer conveying member is disposed in the second conveying path and includes a rotating shaft and spiral blades formed around the rotating shaft. The developer conveying member is rotationally driven to convey the developer in the second direction and feeds the developer to the developer carrier. The plurality of paddle members project in a radial direction from the rotating shaft of the developer conveying member at one circumferential position on the rotating shaft. The plurality of paddle members is contiguously arranged in the axial direction of the rotating shaft to connect the spiral blades adjacent to each other in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takefumi Yotsutsuji, Akifumi Yamaguchi, Takahisa Nakaue, Tamotsu Shimizu, Minoru Wada, Shizuka Okada
  • Publication number: 20140140734
    Abstract: A developing device of this disclosure has: a housing, a developing roller, a developer conveying path, a partition board, a second communication path, a developer receiving port, a first conveying member, a second conveying member, and a conveyance capability inhibition part. A toner is cyclically conveyed in a first conveying path and a second conveying path. A first stirring screw is disposed in the first conveying path and driven into ration around a first rotation axis for toner conveyance. Formed downstream of the first stirring screw by the conveyance capability inhibition part is a toner accumulation part, and the amount of toner refilled from a toner refill port is adjusted. Where an aperture area of the first communication path is A1 and a circular area formed by an outer circumferential edge of the first stirring screw in section orthogonal to the first rotation axis is A2, relationship 0.5×A2<A1<1.2×A2 is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Takahisa Nakaue, Minoru Wada, Shizuka Okada, Takafumi Yotsutsuji, Akifumi Yamaguchi, Tamotsu Shimizu